I have tried so many things to relieve my chronic back arthritis pain. I’ve had physical therapy, done exercises on my own, taken different medications, used TENS, heating pads, ice packs, massage, and worn a back brace.
When I paid my annual visit to the doctor, I was having arthritis pain in my lower back as usual, and she brought up the option of cortisone injections. I was initially skeptical, and this just sounded like another version of the medication.
According to Dr. Robert Shmerling, Corresponding Faculty at Harvard Medical School, even if you have nerve-related back pain, “you would do less invasive, less aggressive things first.”
What is Cortisone?
According to Arthritis-Health, “cortisone is a man-made version of a natural hormone called cortisol. Cortisone is used to treat inflammatory conditions such as autoimmune diseases, as well as joint swelling and pain.”
This is not the kind of injection where you get a shot in the arm, wear a band-aid over it, and are good to go. This is a fasting procedure but you can eat up to a few hours before your procedure. When you arrive at the clinic, you are weighed and dressed in a gown and warm socks. An IV is started just in case you need medication.
You are then wheeled into the procedure room and hooked up to operating equipment so your vitals can be monitored. For back injections, you lie on your stomach on a gurney and your blood pressure and pulse are taken.
Procedure
I went to a teaching hospital so one of the advanced students would be performing the cortisone injections under the supervision of the attending doctor.
Once I was placed on my stomach, the injections began and I chose not to have an anesthetic. I am usually a real wimp about pain, but this was completely tolerable to me.
Recovery
Praise God that after I arrived in recovery, I ate the donut I stashed in my purse. If you didn’t bring anything, you may be offered crackers or cookies with juice. Once you are fully awake you get to go home and rest.
Aftermath
So now that I have come out on the other side of the procedure, I had less pain the day after but overall, the procedure did not help with my arthritis back pain. Everyone has a different experience, so you may have complete pain relief.
If your pain is not caused by inflammation, the cortisone injection may not work. The doctor or technician performing the procedure may have missed the injection site where you are having the most pain.
Cortisone can weaken the immune system. For this reason, many doctors limit injections to once every 3 months for a specific joint, and 6 times a year for the entire body.
Summary
As your pain increases, you may want to try cortisone injections. Work closely with your doctor to see what pain alternatives may work for you. You can’t live life to the fullest if you are constantly in pain.
