ok i am scheduled to get a couple of those cortisone shots in my shoulder for the pain. i will be getting a mri and then the shots as soon as basketball is over.

but i want to know if they hurt. i am kind of worried because needles are NOT my thing..

but i also need them so i can play baseball this season..

has anybody had them before?

Son had a cortisone shot in the knee. It did not hurt but he go dizzy and had to lay down because he watched the needle go in the knee. Do not watch. Oh the needle is way big. Good luck. Worth it though as the pain is gone.

ok thanks for saying it big haha.

i heard you cant feel it go in.

Yes the needle is LONG

May I ask why you are getting two shots? One usually does the trick

Sounds like you are getting a fixer upper so you can play asap, most doctors prescribe rest and rehab after a shot, especially for shoulders but don't decide that until after the mri.

gotten plenty in the back. Make sure your bones are structurally sound. If you have a break,or a fracture,the shot will slow down healing,but take away pain. They gave me cortisone before an MRI,which turned out to be very wrong.

I get regular cortisone (2-3 times a year) in my shoulder. There is no pain. They mix lidocane in with the cortisone that instantly numbs the inside as they inject. Also you won't see it go in as most injections come from behind.

CPLZ,
Are you comparing yourself to a young HS player.

FYI, son had a cortisone shot summer of 2007 to relieve pain from tendinitous, and another one this year for same issue. They said NO more. Something about scar tissue developing which can further impeed free movement of the shoulder capsule. Might depend on what area of the shoulder the pain is coming from. As a HS player I wouldn't let my son have shot without a proper diagnosis. You have to figure out where the pain is coming from instead of covering up.
And in each case he needed to take a week off before he could throw again.
My concern was the player said he needed the shot so he could play baseball after basketball.

quote:

Originally posted by TPM:
CPLZ,
Are you comparing yourself to a young HS player.

FYI, son had a cortisone shot summer of 2007 to relieve pain from tendinitous, and another one this year for same issue. They said NO more. Something about scar tissue developing which can further impeed free movement of the shoulder capsule. Might depend on what area of the shoulder the pain is coming from. As a HS player I wouldn't let my son have shot without a proper diagnosis. You have to figure out where the pain is coming from instead of covering up.
And in each case he needed to take a week off before he could throw again.
My concern was the player said he needed the shot so he could play baseball after basketball.

Great point.

The shot is only going to reduce the pain, not fix the root cause of the pain.

Why does your shoulder hurt?

Another thing, most college programs do not allow team doctors to give cortisone shots, a trip to an ortho for diagnosis, then it is usually rest and rehab, perhaps a round of oral anti inflammatory. Sometimes a shot is given to relieve immediate pain or swelling for an injury (and given in the butt) but no cortisone.

If it was so good for you they would be shooting up players for aches and pains everyday.

quote:

Originally posted by John YaYa:
The shot is only going to reduce the pain, not fix the root cause of the pain.

That's not entirely true. Cortisone is a steroidal anti inflammatory not a pain reliever. It is very effective at reducing swelling and inflammation. You are right in that it won't cure the cause of the swelling and inflammation, but it does not mask pain. In fact, before they started mixing lidocane in with the cortisone, cortisone shots were very painful to many.

Tendonitis and bursitis in the shoulder can be instigated by sometimes very minute problems or situational movements. Once they take hold however, are troublesome and very time consuming to get to abate. Cortisone can and does help speed the healing process by reducing the inflammation more rapidly than nearly any other form of treatment.

Cortisone is used at the college level as a form of treatment. The reason that it is not good to use cortisone to be "shooting up players for aches and pains everyday", is that it is a steriod. Common medical opinion states it as safe for injection up to three times annually. After that, the steriod can become systemic, saturating the body rather than staying mostly localized to the joint it is treating.

And I was a young HS player in 1976 when I had my first cortisone shot in my shoulder...two that year, and many since.

One thing to remember, is as the cortisone does its magic...next comes the REHAB. My advice is to not go out there too quickly when the joint gets to feeling better. By cutting down the inflammation, you can get to rehab and allow the Certified Athletic Trainer to do his or her job and get you back (assuming the MRI is clear).

quote:

Tendonitis and bursitis in the shoulder can be instigated by sometimes very minute problems or situational movements. Once they take hold however, are troublesome and very time consuming to get to abate. Cortisone can and does help speed the healing process by reducing the inflammation more rapidly than nearly any other form of treatment.

I agree, I had a frozen shoulder after having untreated tendonitis for years (probably from all the swimming) anyway frozen shoulder is more painful than childbirth and I am not even trying to be funny. I could not even lift my arm from my side. Had to get a shot, then the PT could get in there and start working on the issues causing it.
Shot made it a lot better but still needed rehab.
But, if it were my son I would want to make sure nothing was ripped or torn before a shot. If it is just tendonitis a shot could help recovery , but still need to find root cause of why its getting so inflamed.

TPM alluded to an important consideration, which is no throwing for a period of time after the shot. I've had a number of cortisone shots over the years due to injuries while practicing karate. I've had them in my heel (OUCH!), hip, knee, back, shoulder and finally in my elbow for 'tennis elbow'. After about five or six shots in different parts of my body over 4 yeras, I finally got smart and gave up karate and started coaching baseball more.

When I went to see the doc for my elbow, he initially didn't want to give me a cortisone shot, as he said that it weakens the tendons for a period of time. Later, when my son was in for a sports physical, they got to talking about baseball and son told the doc that I could pitch. So, the doc called me to try out for his 40 and over men's league baseball team. I went out and pitched, but the pain from the tendonitis was pretty bad, so the doc said I needed a cortisone shot. I was kinda puzzled, so I asked him why he'd told me no shot only a month earlier and now was advoacting a shot. His response was classic, he said: "A month ago, I didn't know you could pitch!" He gave me a cortisone shot, and put in more than I ever recalled with any other shot, then told me not to throw or do any heavy lifting with my left arm for ten days, after which I could resume throwing. It made a substantial difference for a while, and I was able to throw without pain.

If you have to get one, be sure to ask your doctor for advice on how long to rest before beginning to put a load on your arm again. You need to get this advice from the medical professional, not from the "internet docs" here.

news update..

i did not get a MRI.. they said i may have tendonitis in my rotator cuff..

i am taking pills for it now.. they were going to give me the shots but i am taking these pills and see how they work.

we are 5-0 so far this season and my shoulder really hasn't bothered me at all.

I trust that whatever you are taking is not just masking the pain---BE CAREFUL !!!