How Do Cortisone Injections Help Bursitis? Understanding Inflammation

Do You Have Inflammation?

If a doctor confirms that a patient has bursitis, there is a significant inflammation in a particular joint. But what is inflammation anyway, and why does this affect millions? The term has become a buzzword in the health and wellness space lately and is blamed for aches, pains, and chronic diseases. Moreso, inflammation is behind bursitis, which may benefit from treatments like cortisone injections.

Acute and chronic inflammation

Inflammation is a natural body function. The body has several mechanisms in place for pain and injury, and inflammation is the most important. For instance, if someone injures an ankle, the body sends more blood and other compounds straight to the ankle. The heat and swelling that happens is acute inflammation. With chronic inflammation, the body is confused and constantly sends fighting compounds to joints and organs unnecessarily. Chronic inflammation leads to arthritis, bursitis, and a host of other diseases.

What is bursitis?

Someone with bursitis has inflammation of the bursa. The bursae are fluid-filled sacs located in the joints like the elbows, knees, shoulders, hips, and spine. Bursitis can cause dull, achy pain in the affected joint. The pain gets worse with movement. Bursitis is often confused with arthritis. However, the condition is temporary and does not impact the cartilage and bone, like arthritis.

First steps of bursitis treatment

Bursitis responds well to non-surgical therapies. Typical forms of treatment include rest, compression, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Hot and cold therapy is also a helpful treatment option. These all help relieve the pain, swelling, and discomfort. If managed well, bursitis should go away, although joint overuse could cause the condition to return. If someone cannot manage bursitis this way, steroid injections are useful options.

Turning to steroids injections

Doctors have been using cortisone injections for decades to relieve pain throughout the body. Cortisone injections suppress the genes that activate when inflammation takes place. If a doctor sees that non-surgical treatment is failing, these joint injections are the next step. A doctor will inject the steroid and an anesthetic into the affected bursa through a simple outpatient visit. The patient will be awake during the procedure, which takes a few minutes. From there, the patient should monitor the pain and continue non-surgical therapies.

How effective is the injection?

Bursa injections are pretty valuable for pain management. Some patients see relief in as little as 30 minutes after the shot. When the anesthetic wears off, the pain will likely return, but the corticosteroid is still working throughout the body. In a few days, the patient should see significant pain relief in the bursa. Bursa injections are known to last several months, up to a year. Since the joints are not directly affected, there should be long-term relief. However, bursitis is known to return, so another shot may be necessary.

Success rate and risks

Cortisone steroids typically have up to 80% success rate against joint inflammation. With any procedure, surgical or not, there are risks. Common bursa injection risks include a slight fever, headache, pain at the injection site, and an increased heart rate. Speak with a doctor about any concerns.

Beat bursitis with cortisone injections

Chronic inflammation continues to impact millions of people, particularly the joints. Bursitis is one such condition that can affect anyone at almost every stage in life. However, cortisone injections are a viable treatment method, especially if other non-surgical procedures fail. Look for the symptoms that come with bursitis and speak with a doctor. If the doctor deems treatment necessary, steroid injections can be a game-changer.