Should I cancel my knee steroid injection?

November 27, 2023 12:56 PM

Since I posted my last Ask about the knee issues I had earlier this month, I talked with somebody from the orthopedics department and scheduled a steroid injection to lubricate my knee. However, all the odd pains and locking up had mysteriously disappeared for about a week now.

My appointment is this Friday. At this point, would you suggest rescheduling the steroid injection or just cancelling altogether? I suspect the pain/locking up went away because my knee healed on its own, but I don't want to cancel and then boom, get another bout of arthritis pain. Not sure how often the pain comes and goes, this was my first time experiencing pain.

Thanks!

posted by thoughtful_analyst to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

Response by poster: Forgot to add — YANMD! Wanted to see if others with similar experiences could pipe in.
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 1:12 PM on November 27, 2023

Not me, but my Mom had knee pain and she was scheduled for 3 shots. By the time the third shot came around she was pretty much pain free, but kept the appointment anyway, and as far as I know has been pain free for months now.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 2:14 PM on November 27, 2023

This is a question for the doctor.
posted by samthemander at 2:42 PM on November 27, 2023 [3 favorites]

I am not a doctor, but my understanding is that the evidence for the benefit of steroid knee injections is not great, and there are potentially dangerous side effects, which makes me think that it would be better to avoid an "unnecessary" injection.

But yeah, this is a question for your doctor.
posted by heatherlogan at 3:51 PM on November 27, 2023 [1 favorite]

Joint pain/injury vet here,
100% cancel. "Save" the cortisone use for when you really need it.
posted by Dashy at 4:03 PM on November 27, 2023 [4 favorites]

I can't tell from your question if you've met this doctor and established yourself as their patient yet, or if you just made the appointment for the injection over the phone—if this is a new patient visit I would consider keeping it even if you are leaning towards skipping the injection. It's generally much easier to get in to see a doctor on short notice if you are already "on their panel," meaning you have had a new patient appointment within the past few years.
posted by telegraph at 4:12 PM on November 27, 2023

Yup, I'd cancel. Steroids can deteriorate the joint and have other risks. Further, from the link, there is a concern that because of the potential harms, the number of steroid shots should be limited. Cancel and save the steroids for another time when you need it. Or avoid them altogether if that's possible.
posted by lulu68 at 4:46 PM on November 27, 2023

I agree that you should save the shot for if and when you need it. Reschedule for late next week, if you want to be cautious, then outright cancel if you still feel good.

When I messed up my shoulder, I got physio and other treatments for a while before my doctor agreed it was time for a cortisone shot, which worked beautifully. He said that the shot was a last resort, not an early treatment, because I was getting only one kick at the can.
posted by maudlin at 6:24 AM on November 28, 2023

Response by poster: All:

Decided to postpone the injection for late December just to wait it out and see how the knee fares. Some of the answers on how the steroid injections can actually be unhelpful was a good wake-up call for me.

If I get through the first half of December without any serious issues, I'll just cancel altogether.
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 12:47 PM on November 29, 2023