Corticosteroid Injections

A corticosteroid injection places a potent anti-inflammatory drug into a joint, bursa or soft tissue to reduce inflammation and give short-term pain relief. It relieves symptoms rather than reliably promoting healing, so it works best as part of a plan that includes rehabilitation.

Also called a steroid or cortisone injection, it is one of the most commonly used procedures in musculoskeletal practice. Its value differs between conditions: it helps in some and gives worse longer-term results in others.

This page covers:

• •How corticosteroid injections work, and where they do and do not help
• •The risks, and how often they can be repeated
• •The anti-doping rules for a competing athlete