Steroids can be an effective tool to reduce inflammation.  However, Steroids can weaken and atrophy tissue and when used improperly, degrade cartilage. It is a tool to help us help you address the reason why you have the inflamed area in the first place.  IT IS NOT TO BE USED AS THE SOLE TREATMENT.    

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Steroid injections are used to treat:

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• Swollen or painful joints

• Swollen and inflamed tendon sheaths

• Swollen and inflamedbursas

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Steroids, or corticosteroids, are an anti-inflammatory agent used to treat inflammatory pain due to arthritis, bursitis and synovitis/tenosynovitis. The hydrocortisone is injected directly into the painful joint, bursa or tendon sheath accompanied by a numbing agent.

 

Most Common Joints Injected with Steroid:

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• Shoulder (both the AC joint and the GH joint)

• Wrist 

• Thumb

• Hip 

• Knee

• Ankle

• Midfoot

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Most Common Bursas Injected with Steroid:

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• Shoulder 

  • Subacromial/Subdeltoid

  • Subcoracoid

  • Subscapular

• Elbow

  • Olecranon

  • Epicondylar

• Hip 

  • Lateral Hip (Trochanteric, Subgluteus Medius, Subgluteus Minimis)

  • Anterior Hip (Iliopsoas)

  • Posterior Hip (Ischiogluteal)

• Knee

  • Anterior Medial Inferior (Pes Anserine)

  • Anterior Superior (Suprapatellar)

  • Lateral (IT Band)

  • Anterior (Prepatellar)

  • Anterior Inferior (Infrapatellar)

• Ankle

  • Posterior (Retrocalcaneal)

  • Posterior Heel (SubQ Calcaneal)

  • Medial (Medial Malleolar)

• Foot 

  • Plantar Side (Metatarsal)

  • Big Toe-BUNION PAIN (1st Medial Metatarsophalangeal)

  • Toe area (Intermetatarsal)

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Most Common Tendon Sheaths Injected with Steroid:

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• Bicipital  (Anterior Shoulder)

• Dequervain’s Tenosynovitis (Posterior Wrist Thumb Side)

• Hand/Wrist Flexors and Extensors

• Pes Anserine (Anterior Medial Inferior Knee)

• Medial Hamstring (Posterior Knee)

• Achilles (Used sparsely for it’s paratenon)

• Medial Ankle Tendons (Posterior Tibialis, Flexor Hallucis Longus, Flexor Digitorum)

• Interdigital (In between toes)