If you’re dealing with a shoulder issue that’s marred by inflammation and tissue compression, your doctor may talk with you about considering a localized corticosteroid injection. Similar to an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, a corticosteroid injection aims to resolve persistent inflammation that may be limiting your body’s ability to effectively recover. However, it does this by delivering a much more concentrated dose of medicine to the specific area that is being bothered via a needle that is professionally administered by your doctor.
And while they can be a great option for the right patient, the effects of a corticosteroid injection won’t last forever. So how long can you expect these injections to last, and how effective are they at helping you achieve relief from your shoulder issue? We answer those questions and more in today’s blog on corticosteroid injections for shoulder issues.
The Effectiveness Of Shoulder Injections
When talking with our patients about shoulder injections, we reiterate a few common points. For starters, injections aren’t a catch-all option for any type of shoulder injury. If you’re dealing with a shoulder dislocation or a ligament tear, an injection isn’t going to be part of your recovery protocol. Conditions that involve compression, impingement and inflammation are most likely to respond well to an injection. Some conditions that may be treated with an injection include:
- Shoulder impingement syndrome
- Nerve compression
- Arthritic degeneration
- Bursitis
The second point that we make clear to our patients, and that gets to the heart of the topic at hand, is that a corticosteroid injection is not a long-term stand-alone option for the above shoulder issues. A corticosteroid injection can be the perfect complement to a comprehensive treatment program, but by nature it is a passive treatment that tends to address the symptoms of the condition. An injection helps to resolve inflammation that is the result of an issue within your shoulder, but it doesn’t treat the underlying issue that’s causing the inflammation to develop in the first place.
In order for a corticosteroid injection to be effective, and in order for it to have the longest lasting effects, you need to pair the injection with some active treatments. Physical therapy is the most common active treatment, but exercise, stretching and manual shoulder manipulation are all other options that may be recommended by your shoulder specialist. These are active interventions that work to restore strength, mobility and function in your shoulder joint, and they will be the best options for targeting the underlying cause of your shoulder discomfort.
Another reason why shoulder injections pair well with proactive treatments is because the relief provided by the injection can make it easier for patients to pursue active treatments. For example, we oftentimes talk with patients who say that shoulder movement is too difficult or too painful for them to regularly pursue physical therapy, even though PT will be the best thing for their shoulder in the long run. A corticosteroid injection provides temporary symptom relief and makes it easier for patients to seek out the benefits of active treatments that may otherwise prove difficult when symptoms are at their worst.
As for how long the effectiveness of the injection lasts, that really depends on a number of different factors. Initial injections tend to provide symptom relief for anywhere from a couple of weeks to 3-6 months, and subsequent injections prove less effective as your body begins to get used to the medication. Don’t expect to get a shoulder injection every six months, because you’ll experience diminishing returns as you get subsequent injections. This too speaks to the importance of pairing an injection with proactive interventions so that you can put your shoulder issue to bed once and for all.
So while the injection itself may only provide relief for a couple of months, you can use the injection alongside other treatments to put your shoulder problem in the past once and for all. To learn more about an injection or what type of shoulder injection may be right for you, reach out to Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
