I'm having the cortisone injections from the neck down to my feet...?

Question

to help with the lumber spine and twisted pelvis injuries i recieved in a car crash. will these make the pain go away or will i need regular injections?? i understand that they are anit-inflams, but i need massive pain relief, what else is there for me???

Answer 1

First, I trust your doctor is making the best decisions for you, so I will not second guess them, but I can give you some background on cortisone.

Cortisone is an anti-inflammatory. It works very well for reducing pain and inflammation, particularly chronic inflammation related to arthritis and injury. I have an arthritic knee that was originally damaged playing sports and I have had cortisone injections twice. Chronic inflammation is, in many ways, a self-sustaining process; inflammation leads to irritation which leads to more inflammation. In my case, I was having problems after a surgery because the inflammation was painful and it was slowing the healing process. One shot reduced the pain for about 6 weeks, giving my knee time to heal, so when the cortisone wore off, it did not hurt nearly as much. Perhaps this is what your doctor is shooting for. I have read that repeated cortisone injections for years are bad for the bone, but those articles discussed people who had cortisone injected several times a year for decades.

The only bad part was that the cortisone burns a little when being injected, and I could not sleep the night after the injection because my knee ached. Within two days it felt incredibly better, and if you are having chronic back pain, I imagine the improvement will be tremendous. Good luck and best wishes for your recovery.

Answer 2

Cortisone is a steroid, this is not something you want to use for a long period of time. You should see about some pain management classes to help you cope as well as some physical therapy depending on how long ago the accident was. If it was only a few months, give it some more time and try to bare it as best you can. The body does heal itself in time, but it takes a lot of it. If it has been more than a year, look into the classes and alternate methods like acupuncture and PT. It is a lot safer for your body in the long run. Good luck!!

Answer 3

I agree that you should trust your doctor... but that does not mean that you shouldn't seek other methods of health care for your injury.
Take an active part in your health by looking into therapies like PT (physical therapy), massage (from a licensed professional who specializes in orthopedic or pelvic work), and acupuncture (also from a licensed professional). All of these will most likely be a longer term aid to returning you to regular activity, meaning that these forms of health care are meant to be a process of work and can go on for some time depending on your degree of injury. Cortisone injections are meant to work in the short term (after all it is a steroid).
As a practicing LMT, who works closely with an acupuncturist, I may be a little bit biased; however, I have seen these treatments (PT, MT, Ac) do wonders for clients suffering from long term pain... and massage can be both relaxing and physically/emotionally healing.

Answer 4

don't take that steroid stuff! you should focus on physical therapy, try to find somebody who is specialized on back and pelvis injuries. it really depends on what is wrong with you back.... so i cannot really tell you what other medications might help you. but you can avoid a lot of medicine by starting a sport, for example swimming where you take off a heavy load of your body. here you will need the ok of your doctors as well as the proper technique.
good luck!