one cortisone shot for my elbow? is it bad or not?

[Tom]

been dealing with tendonitis and bursitis in my left elbow for a couple of months now, was on prednisone and some other stuff, been using 800 mg of ibuprofen and tiger balm before and after i work out and the darn thing is still there?

it's not shooting pain or excrutiating, just a constant nagging throbbing ache, even on the days i dont' lift.

the bad feeling is centered right on the "top" elbow bone nearest the top and side of the forearm, kind of hurts when i press on this bone. anyway....

doctor did say if all this medicine doesn't help he'll give me a cortisone shot, but from what i have read cortisone shots are really bad for you in that all they do is take the ache/pain away, don't actually heal anything and also weaken the tendons, ligaments and nerve as well?!

but then i've read this only happens if you take cortisone shots all the time, so if i take just one cortisone shot could it be that bad for me and my elbow?

[ksa_triceps]

I once had a shoulder injury and the doctor made me have a cortisone shot right into my shoulder. The pain was horrendous and i couldn't sleep for 3 nights. Might i add nothing happened to the injury itself, it even became worse.

Try physical therapy, try anything. Cortisone is a mistake.

[nunzi]

cortisone isnt a solution.  ITs something to get you by for a sort period before surgery to correct the problem.  Could make things worse bc u dont feel the pain as much and youll keep damaging the area.

Its like in baseball or in sports.  The player will get a cortisone shot during the season so he can play but will get surgery once the season is over..

[Rimbaud]

It'll depend on how often you use it (a shot here & there wouldn't kill you). A couple months ago I had 4cc's of cortisone shot into my right elbow. About three days later there was no pain. But instead of training like mad because I felt so good I took some time off & lightened up on the weights. My doctor told me he wouldn't give me more then three within a twelve month period. Go ahead & get the shot & see what happens but take it easy once you do for awhile. This may also be your body's way of telling you to take a break. Why not take two or three weeks off of training (especially the upper body)?

[Montague]

Cortisone allows no room for “blanket statements.”
It will not fix everything, and in cases such as torn articular cartilage, etc., yes – it only serves to give temporary relief.

However, in the case of inflamed tendons/bursa, cortisone’s anti-inflammatory properties can oftentimes help to eliminate the source of the problem as well as reducing the pain.

An orthopedic gave me two shots (one in each elbow) a couple of years ago to treat some bad tendonitis.
That – along with modified/smart training – and I’ve been good ever since.
Both he & my physical therapist offered to order me another round of shots, but I opted out – I just didn’t feel I needed it.

No need to be afraid of cortisone.
3 shots / year to a specific area seems to be the common max.
Side effects mentioned above typically only manifest as a result of overuse/abuse.

[Rimbaud]

Cortisone allows no room for “blanket statements.”
It will not fix everything, and in cases such as torn articular cartilage, etc., yes – it only serves to give temporary relief.

However, in the case of inflamed tendons/bursa, cortisone’s anti-inflammatory properties can oftentimes help to eliminate the source of the problem as well as reducing the pain.

An orthopedic gave me two shots (one in each elbow) a couple of years ago to treat some bad tendonitis.
That – along with modified/smart training – and I’ve been good ever since.
Both he & my physical therapist offered to order me another round of shots, but I opted out – I just didn’t feel I needed it.

No need to be afraid of cortisone.
3 shots / year to a specific area seems to be the common max.
Side effects mentioned above typically only manifest as a result of overuse/abuse.

Excellent post.

[Montague]

Thanks.
I do nothing, but I try hard.