Cortisone shot relief shortlived Here is an article from the L.A. Times via the newspaper the Hartford Courant that illustrates
the point that quicker is not always better.
Here is a link to the article in the Courant:
http://www.courant.com/news/health/hc-healthquickcheckup1017.artoct17,
0,2495285.story?coll=hc-headlines-health
Shots Give Only Limited Pain Relief
October 17 2006
Tennis elbow sufferers eager to retake the court, return to the computer or get back to
hammering nails have long looked to cortisone injections to bring relief. Australian
researchers have found the relief to be real, but short-lived.
That blow to die-hard serve-and-volleyers comes from a study published in the Sept. 27
edition of the British Medical Journal that compared three groups of tennis-elbow sufferers
six weeks and a year after an office visit. One group received reassurances that the pain
would likely ease on its own and instructions for avoiding activities that could aggravate the
condition. A second group received eight sessions of physical therapy in six weeks and
learned exercises to do at home. A third group was given a cortisone shot and was told to
resume normal activities gradually.
The group who received the shot got quick relief. After six weeks, 78 percent of those in the
injection group reported some relief of their pain, followed by the physical therapy group, among
whom 65 percent felt better. In the "wait-and-see" group, 27 percent felt better at six weeks.
But a year later, 72 percent of those who received the steroid shot reported a return of pain -
a consequence, researchers surmise, of injury brought on by a premature return to work or
play. Among the wait-and-see group and those who received physical therapy, all subjects
reported either recovery or much improvement.
- Los Angeles Times
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