Local Steroid Injections
How this therapy is used at Arthritis Care of Texas in Corpus Christi, TX — what it is, how it is taken, side effects, and safety checks.
- Treats
- Inflamed joints & soft tissue · Osteoarthritis
- How given
- Injection in our office
- How often
- As needed
A steroid injection is a symptom treatment with a local reach: it calms inflammation inside one specific joint or tendon, often relieving pain within a few days and for weeks to months. It does not change the course of arthritis or protect other joints — it is targeted relief, used alongside the treatments that do the long-term work.
What they are: Man-made steroids that act like the body's natural steroids to reduce inflammation (not the same as body-building steroids). They are given as injections into the affected area for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory arthritides, and also for very painful osteoarthritis or short-term extra relief. Short-acting soluble steroids relieve within hours and last at least a week; longer-acting, less soluble ones take about a week to work but can ease symptoms for two months or more.
How they're given: Your clinician chooses the steroid mixture and dose. Blood pressure and blood sugar may be checked first, as injections can raise both. The steroid is injected directly into an inflamed joint, into soft tissue near the joint, or into muscle, and ultrasound may guide precise placement. A local anaesthetic is often added — pain relief within minutes, with numbness for up to 24 hours, so arrange transport home. Rest the joint and avoid strenuous exercise for 1–2 days, but don't rest too long. Injections may be repeated if helpful, but they mainly buy time while long-term medications are found; the need should fall once your arthritis is controlled.
Side effects: Most people have none beyond mild discomfort at the injection. Occasionally there is a joint-pain flare within 24 hours, which settles in days (paracetamol helps). Stronger mixtures carry more risk (mildest: hydrocortisone; stronger and longer-lasting: methylprednisolone, triamcinolone). Occasionally: skin thinning or colour change at the site; very rarely skin indentation, or joint infection — a hot, more painful joint plus feeling unwell means see a doctor immediately. Systemic effects such as weight gain are very rare unless injections are frequent (more than a few per year). Facial flushing, temporary period changes, and mood changes are possible. Blood sugar rises for a few days in diabetics.
Interactions: Compatible with other medicines. If you are on warfarin or other anticoagulants, an extra blood test may be needed because of bleeding-into-the-joint risk — tell the person injecting you.
Pregnancy: Current guidelines say single steroid injections are not harmful in pregnancy or breastfeeding and can be useful — discuss with your doctor first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Why the checks: The preparation steps are deliberate: ultrasound guidance is used because seeing the joint space, needle, and tissue in real time places the medicine exactly where it works and avoids structures it should not touch; we ask about infections and allergies because injecting through or into an infection would spread it; and we note your other injections and medicines so total steroid exposure stays sensible.
Used for Rheumatoid arthritis · Osteoarthritis · Inflamed joints & soft tissue
Common worries
Will it hurt?
There is a brief sting and pressure as the medicine goes in — most patients are surprised at how quick it is. We numb the skin, and ultrasound guidance means fewer attempts and precise placement. Ache may actually increase for 24–48 hours (a ‘steroid flare’) before the benefit arrives; ice and rest help.
I’ve heard steroid shots damage joints. True?
Repeated injections into the same joint, many times a year for years, are what raise concern — so we space them sensibly (usually no more than 3–4 a year in one joint) and track them. Occasional, well-spaced injections are a standard, valued part of arthritis care.
I have diabetes — anything to know?
Yes: a steroid injection can raise blood sugar for a few days. Tell us you have diabetes, check sugars a little more often that week, and mention the injection to your diabetes clinician if readings run high.
Ready to be seen? New patients are seen within 2–4 weeks.