View Full Version : Knee steroid injections..........
I have a really bad right knee. Don't want a replacement. Have had a meniscus trimming about 10 years ago and had been doing okay for those years with occasional ice, Tylenol, and exercises. Lately I developed horrible bilateral thigh aching, which I thought might be referred pain from that bad knee. I also have fibromyalgia, which means when one thing hurts, everything hurts.
So a couple days ago, I had a steroid injection in that knee. I was in heaven for a day and a half........no pain anywhere. But suddenly this morning my fun came to an abrupt end. First, I started feeling itchy. Then I felt anxious. Then a I felt REALLY anxious and have stayed that way. What the heck? Well, after doing a lot of online reading I discovered that this is not unusual at all. And some people are even extremely anxious for a couple months. What a drag. Seems like when I find a solution to something, it messes up somewhere else. I guess nothing is free....
Anyone here have steroid injections (in any joint) and this has happened to you? Fortunately I can take the edge off the panic with a tiny bit of xanax..........but dang.....no fun.
The doc told me it doesn't get systemic because it stays in the joint "capsule". You can't tell me no one else has had this reaction. Maybe they say that so you won't tend to get it, just from him mentioning it?
I swear my body is wired all wrong.
It's common for steroids to cause anxiety and insomnia and irritability and mania in susceptible people. I've seen patients admitted to psych units because someone put them on prednisone.
Many years ago, I had a similar high anxiety reaction after using a corticosticoid (sp?) nasal spray when it first came out. For days afterwards, I felt like I had ingested ten cups of coffee. Couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, lost weight and thought I was losing my mind - it was initially diagnosed as some sort of mental issue and I was given Xanax which made everything even worse. It took about six months to return to normal. Years later and talking to a doctor about a painful knee and whether or not a steroid shot might help, I mentioned the nasal steroid spray event when he asked about drug allergies. He said they now know that about 15% of individuals are very sensitive to steroids of any kind and may have a reaction called steroid-induced mania - even to the point of temproary psychosis for a lucky few. I guess it messes with your cortisol levels. In any case, I now won't go near the stuff. Seeing a physical therapist for knee problems turned out to be the best course for me. Doing the exercises eventually corrected the issue completely.
Have you ever tried hyaluronic acid injections? Maybe when the corticosteroid wears off, you can try that.
Thanks everyone. Too bad the docs never mention this stuff beforehand. I'm sure many people do okay with these types of injections........but now that I'm aware of it, there's lots of info out there about the down-side of having them.
I was having such horrendous thigh pain. I thought maybe it was my bad knee. I kept trying to remind the doc of the fact it was the thigh pain and not the knee pain.........but in all fairness, bad knees can cause lots of other leg pains.
Anyhow.....this really sucks. I'm still anxious (a little bit of xanax helps), but now I have really bad reflux, which gives me lots of irregular heartbeats (always has), I have a headache and pain in my right eye. Geez.........unbelievable. No wonder I don't trust docs. They seem to just go for the money-maker fixes. I had to ask him for a prescription for physical therapy, since he didn't seem to think it would help much. And this guy has excellent reviews.
I do have an extremely unusual/sensitive neuro system, so maybe this is just my problem, but like I said, I'm seeing so many people with similar reactions online. I know when all these side-effects wear off, I'll probably get my horrible thigh pain back again. I'm thinking physical therapy will probably be more useful.
I'm becoming more and more disillusioned with much of modern medicine.
I enjoy generally robust health except for my arthritic joints. I've managed to avoid doctors, their dubious diagnoses and over-fondness for toxic medications, for years. The thought of getting caught up in the geriatric Pharma merry-go-round just to get joint relief makes me angry. I (literally) feel your pain.
Thanks everyone. Too bad the docs never mention this stuff beforehand. I'm sure many people do okay with these types of injections........but now that I'm aware of it, there's lots of info out there about the down-side of having them.
I was having such horrendous thigh pain. I thought maybe it was my bad knee. I kept trying to remind the doc of the fact it was the thigh pain and not the knee pain.........but in all fairness, bad knees can cause lots of other leg pains.
Anyhow.....this really sucks. I'm still anxious (a little bit of xanax helps), but now I have really bad reflux, which gives me lots of irregular heartbeats (always has), I have a headache and pain in my right eye. Geez.........unbelievable. No wonder I don't trust docs. They seem to just go for the money-maker fixes. I had to ask him for a prescription for physical therapy, since he didn't seem to think it would help much. And this guy has excellent reviews.
I do have an extremely unusual/sensitive neuro system, so maybe this is just my problem, but like I said, I'm seeing so many people with similar reactions online. I know when all these side-effects wear off, I'll probably get my horrible thigh pain back again. I'm thinking physical therapy will probably be more useful.
I'm becoming more and more disillusioned with much of modern medicine.
I know what you mean about feeling disillusioned. I am a brittle asthmatic and have really had to hit the prednisone over the years. It definitely keeps me awake at night. I try to take it only when I have to. I stoppe the steroid inhaler because of side effects, and most docs want you to manage your asthma on that, although I have read that in Britain, they believe inhaled steroids actually causes more life-threatening asthma. I keep it for when Ineed it.
Something that helps me is realizing that I have an underlying anxiety disorder which thing exacerbates the asthma reactions. I take valerian for the underlying anxiety and it helps with chronic pain issues, too. I noticed a huge reduction on asthma symptoms when I was on Prozac. I will probably try to duplicate that with a St Johns wort/valerian combo.
For me, it's good to save the prednisone for the life-threatening asthma episodes. While docs say the inhaled steroids will keep this under control, I have not found that to be the case.
Thanks Jane and Tybee. Yeah.....I'm really starting to feel that many times, the doc's "cure" is worse than the disease. they seem so limited in their thinking.
Tybee.....it must be scary to not be able to breathe at times. I, too, have problems with anxiety and everything seems to get escalated by it. So you really feel that the valerian helps?
I'm on a small dose of generic zoloft, but can't go any higher because it causes massive diarrhea. The doc wants me to go on Cymbalta, but those brain drugs can make life even harder, just getting used to them and then ever trying to come off of them.
Good luck with your asthma.
Jane....I think I could tolerate my arthritis, but it's my thighs that have recently gotten unbearably painful.....even the one on the side of my better knee. I have some prolapsing lower abdominal organs too. (what don't I have? haha) It makes sense to me that they could be putting stress on nerves that go to my legs..........but doctor after doctor has said "No......I've never heard of that."
catherine..........I had thought the first thing at the ortho docs would be those other injections....but they said they always start with the steroid injection. Then they said that they have to get permission from the insurance company before giving those injections. So I'm thinking they fill in with the steroid injection, so they have time to get the okay from the insurance co. while the steroid shot is working. I'm not sure that's the greatest way of thinking. I'm really glad that my thigh pain is temporarily gone......but man, what other problems that have cropped up in the mean time.
I DO fear that thigh pain coming back. I almost considered going to the ER for it once. I just keep feeling like I'm slipping through the cracks all the time. I'm even married to a doc, and I feel like he's letting me slip through too. It's really starting to get to me. :(
William Davis, MD has a new book out called Undoctored.
From a review: "America’s 'healthcare' system is anything but. With its dedication to highly monetized interventions, consumers have been relegated to serving as pawns in an impressively profitable paradigm focused on illness, while the notion of keeping us healthy is of little concern. In Undoctored, Dr. Davis explores this revelation, and thereafter, transforms the reader from passive bystander, sitting on the sidelines at the mercy of the system, to an active participant, deeply engaged in the process of regaining and maintaining optimal health. This is a powerfully empowering and life-changing text."
I have it on my "to read" list. Another good read is The Last Well Person, by Nortin Hadler, MD, along those same lines.
ApatheticNoMore
5-21-17, 3:34pm
My mom gets those shots, they relieve pain for awhile, but they wear off (and seemingly more and more quickly). They don't seem to have side effects for her. Although, I suspect they aren't healthy long term, but there isn't always that much else that can be done (well ok knee replacement surgery would likely work but that is her decision and she doesn't want to. I suspect anti-inflammatory foods might help even though in osteoarthritis there is of course structural damage - but NSAIDS do help sometimes). Obviously if a medical treatment produces bad side effects it may not be a good idea. My mom tried physical therapy but it seemed to be producing even MORE pain.
It is highly unusual to have systemic reactions to an intrarticular steroid injection. As you were told, they tend to stay inside the joint capsule which is why/how they provide temporary relief. It is however temporary when there is joint surface breakdown. I did have one 1.5y ago. It gave me relief for a month or 2 but that's it. I had one in my thumb for a trigger. It worked perfectly. I'm happy to report that since about 8w after having it the thumb has not triggered once!
You say you have a really bad knee. There comes a point where NOT getting the replacement causes much more severe damage both in that leg and the other that is being overused to compensate. Have you considered that you've reached that breaking point and really need to consider the replacement?
I'm doing this dance myself. It's a balancing act of figuring out the right time of not too early and not too late! I have a large chunk missing from the thighbone toward the front. I cannot fully extend my leg without serious and severe pain. One bad move takes 3-4 days to recover from........
I know I have systemic reactions to inhaled steroids, and the doctors say this should not happen, but for me, they do. Cathy, you have probably tried all these, but I thought I would offer this link:
http://www.naturalnewsblogs.com/five-natural-ways-avoid-knee-surgery/
I take valerian in capsule form as needed but last year planted a packet of seeds and am nurturing the plants along. They are perennial and coming up very solid this year, so I will be able to brew my own valerian tea. Why don't you try doing that in your garden?
Thanks Gardnr and Tybee.
I think for certain people, they tend to have very little problems with just about everything. But some of us are wired differently, and have to be extremely careful with our choices. And I think it's probably easy for those less "sensitive" people (in a physical sense), it's hard to understand how overly-sensitive some of our systems are. In retrospect, I realize that many of the drugs I've taken through my life had bad side-effects, because for my system, they were like taking 2-3x's the "normal" dose. It's great to run into a doc who understands this and discusses lower dosages.
Tybee.....thanks for that link. I think a big problem I have is the foods I like that don't like me. Someone once said to me that we crave the foods that our bodies have the biggest trouble with. It sounds sort of hokey........but sometimes I think it's true.
I have felt so sick the past couple of days. I think the anxiety from the steroid is lessening a bit.....but along with that is the thigh pain coming back. I bought a cream this morning called "Pentrex" and I'll see how that works.
I talked to a woman I used to work with at the hospital the other day and she said "You have to just trust the doctor". Uh........I don't think so. I have a brain and know my body. Yes, I am very skeptical of many docs, but it's because their reasoning seems illogical to me.
Anyhow.....thanks for that link. I think I need to find out if any of the more natural stuff is contraindicated in combination with any other drugs I'm on.
This pain in my thighs is far worse than my knee pain. I'm thinking maybe something like Meralgia Peristhetica. But since the doc took only knee xrays, he focused on them. I have a couple other doc appointments lined up (G.I., Gyn.), but it seems to take so danged long to get into docs anymore.
Cathy, this is what we use for pain relief for muscles (and has worked for back spasms that I have--crippling pain, emergency room level pain):
https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.jc_5UxVHPolp0w3vBaKsnwEqEs&w=192&h=190&c=7&qlt=90&o=4&pid=1.7
Thanks Tybee......I'll check that out! I bought some "Pentrex" cream this morning, but I'm not going to open it yet. It was something like $19 for 2 oz.
I talked to a woman I used to work with at the hospital the other day and she said "You have to just trust the doctor". Uh........I don't think so. I have a brain and know my body. Yes, I am very skeptical of many docs, but it's because their reasoning seems illogical to me.
I agree. You know your own body better than the doctors do. I remember when I went to the doctor's office in the midst of contractions and I remember one doctor telling the other doctor, "oh, she thinks she's in labor" as in "WE'LL tell HER when she's in labor." They took one quick look and called the ambulance immediately and my daughter was born before I got to the hospital.
In my work talking to patients (and I'm sure the healthcare professionals here can attest to this) doctors do the best they can to diagnose, but it's just as much art as science. I read a really great book written by a doctor called "How Doctors Think"--fascinating. I recommend it if you wonder why some doctors are so off the mark and others have a special sense.
Seems like muscular leg pain can also be caused by certain drugs - statins maybe??
Just curious...I have tremendous knee pain. What do people feel are the most effective exercises they do that relieve pain?.
Just curious...I have tremendous knee pain. What do people feel are the most effective exercises they do that relieve pain?.
Do you know the cause/origin of your knee pain? If your joint surfaces or meniscus are damaged impact activities can make it worse.
Cycling is best as it creates motion and strengthens muscles but is low impact. Walking is good too.
I hear water exercises are perfect; there are probably classes at your local Y.
Aqua Blue
5-23-17, 11:56am
I have spondylitis and have had lots of joints injected through the years. I never feel quite "right" for about 24hours after, cortisone seems to make me dysphoric. That being said I just figure that is the price I pay for joint relief. I know I am perhaps more sensitive than many others, but since in the end it seems to help, I put up with it.
ihad my shoulder injected about two weeks ago, and it has helped with shoulder pain a great deal.
One of the exercises I did for torn meniscus that seemed helpful was to sit on table edge and swing leg back and forth for ten minutes. Easy enough to do.
I wish you could get a better answer though as to what is causing the pain, Cathy. Then you could know what to work on, physical therapy, etc.
My husband has been told he needs a hip replacement but for now he is using a foam roller to stretch out the tendon and has found a lot of pain relief from that.
As for the best exercises for the knee.......I've heard that it is bicycling. Supposedly, as you do that, your knee actually makes more fluid in there.
I have one of those "Peddlar" things which is just a pair of peddles and you turn like on a bike. I can't seem to ride a stationary bike without getting sciatica.
I also sit in a chair with my legs in front of me on the coffee table. You turn your feet slightly outward and tighten up your muscles and hold for 10 seconds, release and do about 20. then lift them a little off the table and down. It's important to turn your feet a little to the sides, since that activates one of the thigh muscles that can help support your knee. You can google so much about good knee exercises. There's good You Tubes about them.
tybee.......I'm always trying to figure out what it could be. I'm wondering about a parathyroid issue. I'm having that horrible ache in my thighs, buzzing constantly in my lower legs, muscle twitches and this morning I was awakened by an excrutiating charley horse in my foot. My reflux is worse, my hair is thinning, etc., etc. So.....we're going to see what my calcium/phosphate level is and draw a Parathyroid hormone level. I've been reading about it, and it sounds like a possibility.
I took calcium/magnesium for many years. But I'm stumped. I truly believe I was born with some sort of congenital problem and I'm just lucky to be 67. What's weird about my legs, is that when my kids were younger, if I sat down at all, for any length of time, it was like all my leg muscles locked and I had major problems getting up. It was incredibly painful.......like I had rigor mortis! It got to be a bit embarrassing in places like restaurants. But then, for about 10 years, it all went away. I have no idea why. Now it's back again. I do wonder about female hormones.
I like my internal medicine doc, but I just can't bear to go back to him and have him tell me again "You don't have anything that will kill you. You need to take Cymbalta". I can be fairly analytical and if the doctors haven't searched very far for any problem that go beyond the usual blood tests, I'm pretty hesitant to take strong meds.
I really try to be objective. I'm open to the psychological condition of having somatoform disorders. But there's so many things I love to do, but can't, because of this pain. And I don't want to have a knee replacement, if that isn't going to help my intense thigh pain.
I just want the docs to put on their thinking caps..........but they have tunnel vision to their specialty, and could care less about me as a person.
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