What is corticosteroid injections? An injection with adrenocortical hormone mixed with a local anaesthetic is called a corticosteroid injection. It is administered in order to reduce irritation (also called inflammation, which means infection without bacteria). It may be irritation in a bursa, around tendons or in a joint. The irritation may be caused by various things; overload, abrasion, wrong movement amongst others and in the shoulder because of a frozen shoulder. Before we administer a corticosteroid injection to you, we will have carefully considered what causes the irritation. We will also have considered if another treatment or a change in your daily movements will be needed to prevent the irritation in reoccurring. Very often a part of the treatment will be exercises, which you will receive from a physiotherapist. We suggest that in the days after the corticosteroid injection you go easy on the area in question. Effect The local anaesthetic takes effect immediately and the pain disappears or is reduced significantly for the period of time where the local anaesthetic is working. For many patients the adrenocortical hormone takes effect before the local anaesthetic has ceased to work, but for others it will take some days before the adrenocortical hormone starts to work. The effect will often last from weeks up to months. For some patients one corticosteroid injection is enough, but for others further corticosteroid injections are needed. Sometimes it only works for a short period of time or not at all. We aim at administering as few corticosteroid injections as possible in order not to weaken the tissue more than necessary. However, four corticosteroid injections per year may be administered without risk. Some patients experience pain the first 24 hours after the treatment. 2
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