Wow! Now I Understand Why Athletes Love Cortisone Shots

Parent Cafe
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<p>I hurt my foot about 3 weeks ago doing something stupid. I was running up the stairs with my laptop in one hand. Why?–because I so excited to find the link to the audio of my older son’s first guest spot on an internet radio show. He was their guest because of his most recent published article regarding new foreign policy strategies for Iraq. Anyway, I zoomed up the stairs and hit the second to last step wrong. My foot slipped on the edge causing my toes to bend back with all of my weight falling onto them. I did manage to save the laptop from crashing down the stairs so despite the pain, I cracked up laughing. Honestly, I wish it was caught on video because I’m sure I looked ridiculous trying to save the laptop while trying not to fall down the stairs. </p>

<p>Anyway, I figured it was a sprain and proceeded to wait out the typical slow recovery. I finally called a podiatrist office. Sure enough, I’ve been walking around with a stress fracture. To top it off, it aggravated an all ready bad bunion which I’ve had since I was a kid (caused by flat feet). The doctor gave me a cortisone shot right into the joint. It was miraculous! I swear I felt immediate relief. Truly amazing pain relief.</p>

<p>I’m now scheduled for surgery in the beginning of May for removal of the bunion. It’s something I’ve wanted to correct for a long time, but was too chicken to follow through with it. It will entail cutting, shaving, and removing the excess bone. Then, the joint will be cut, bones realigned, and held together with a pin. I know it’s going to hurt a lot post surgery. I know it’s going to take months to heal. None of that matters to me because I’m so excited at the thought of finally having a normal foot. I want the chance to run like the wind as I did when I was younger.</p>

<p>Cortisone shot=:):):):):):):)</p>

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<p>I want what she’s having.</p>

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<p>Not to nitpick, but, you can’t have a stress fracture from an acute injury. You fractured your toes but a stress fracture would come from repeated stress on that bone for some reason causing it to crack.</p>

<p>Good luck with the bunion surgery. I hope you have a lot of books to read or something to keep you occupied during recovery. Also, I would make sure you get some recommendations from former patients, especially some many years out of surgery, for your podiatrist. I know a lot of people that have had their feet messed up by podiatrists doing bunion surgery, past the point of additional corrections and now they suffer with even more pain.</p>

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<p>I had a similar foot surgery as you will have in May. Did fine, but I have two suggestions. When they tell you don’t put any weight on it while healing, l00% compliance makes a difference. A colleague got the same surgery and he stood on it, to cook and so forth. His result longterm was bad. Mine is perfecto. </p>

<p>If you know anyone who owns a rolling walker with big, solid wheels and a carry tray, that helps you stay mobile in the later part of the recovery. With that vehicle, I kept teaching while healing and alternated it with crutches some days. WIth the wheelie walker I could fly down school hallways using the good foot and wheelie-walker like a scooter. It was a very heavy-duty device my big dad had owned and mom had saved, so not the rickety wheel-walkers they give to frail elderly (although those helped in the first recovery stages, certainly).</p>

<p>What I’m describing could be a $500+ item, but maybe with advance work you could find one on Craisglist somehow. Sometimes I gave a little student a ride on the tray, whee! Anyway, I had more mobility.</p>

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<p>Was there a pain relief medication in the shot as well? Injectable steroids usually take a couple of days to work.</p>

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<p>I had a cortisone shot in my shoulder, I agree it did help a lot ( & it took a couple days to start working).
I’ve also had bunion surgery on one foot.Had three screws placed to keep it together.It didn’t bother me much after surgery,dr wouldn’t tell me how long to stay off it even though I insisted, then he got mad at me cause I was on it too much. ( he didnt tell me to stay completely off it, just to stay off it when it became uncomfortable)
I have the same problem with other foot, but my physical therapist is helping me so I can avoid surgery.</p>

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<p>You can get a kneeling “walker”–one where you kneel with your bum leg and push with the other at Walgreens, CVS, etc. Also, check your insurance policy, if your dr prescribes a walker, usually it is covered under the durable medical goods section.</p>

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<p>I had bunion surgery 3.5 years ago and the recovery was more painful than childbirth. (crutches 3+ weeks, then limping noticably for another 2 months, it was almost 4 months before my regular sneakers fit. I started 10+ weeks of PT 2-3days/week 6 weeks after the surgery)</p>

<p>I would strongly suggest you get references from people he recently performed the surgery on to hear their experiences.</p>

<p>There are 2 types of bunion surgery - the cosmetic one is where the shave the joint and take a notch out of the 2nd bone of the big toe. That’s what I had and it looks as bad as before. The ‘real’ or more permanent one is where they break and shorten the bone in the foot and realign the joint. That’s what I thought he was going to do. </p>

<p>PS - love cortisone shots. A few months before my surgery I could barely walk, got the shot on a Friday afternoon and ran a 5k on Sunday morning in reasonable time.</p>

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<p>It’s a new day and my foot feels so much better after yesterday’s shot. </p>

<p>I do understand about the post surgery pain and length of time for healing, but this is something I’ve put off for a long time. It is a deformity since childhood, but as with anything, it gets worse as time goes on. There are arthritic changes in the bone and a bone spur on top of the bunion. If anyone out there has ever had a bout of bursitis in a joint, they can relate. When the bunion flares up, it hurts to even lightly touch with a finger. Now imagine what it’s like to stick that foot into a shoe and have your weight pounding on it with every step. It’s not a pleasant experience.</p>

<p>My husband has spoken to a few nurses he knows who come into our store and they all say that they wouldn’t have anyone touch their feet other than the doctors in this particular group. The doctor doing my surgery is woman. My husband jokes that she’ll be neater with the stitching. </p>

<p>My hope is that in time, I’ll be able to get back to doing the things that I used to love to do—long walks, running, and maybe even a pick up game of basketball with some of the kids on the block :). Heck, even though my sons aren’t planning on becoming fathers in the near future, I want to be able to be physically active with the grandchildren when the time comes.</p>

<p>As it is now, the only shoes I can fit that foot into are sneakers with a very wide toe area.
Wearing sneakers for another 3 months, 6 months, or however long it takes won’t bother me. At least having the surgery will give me the chance to one day, where a cute pair of shoes or sandals. </p>

<p>Nrdsb4, I honestly didn’t think to ask if pain meds were in the shot. She told me she was giving me a cortisone shot and I assumed that’s all that was in it. My husband said the same thing you did about cortisone shots taking a couple of days to kick in (he’s had them before). All I can say it from the time she gave me the shot in the office and the time I got back into the car, my foot felt better. </p>

<p>SteveMa, this is a repeat injury. Perhaps the fracture was do to a combination of this repeat injury, arthritic changes in the bone, and changes over time to the tendons and ligaments being unnaturally stretched and manipulated over the bone mass. </p>

<p>Well, I’ll update you as the time gets closer. I don’t want people on CC to think that this is something I’m quickly jumping to do. It’s something that needed to be done years earlier, but I didn’t have the courage to do it. It’s not being done for cosmetic reasons, but to prevent further issues down the road. However, having a more normal looking foot is a nice bonus.</p>

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<p>I get an annual cortisone shot in one of my big toe joints (it looks like a bunion but the podiatrist says it’s not…just an inflammation due to a congenital deformity in my foot). It usually takes a few days for it to kick in but last May, he must have hit it just right because I got immediate relief and it’s almost a year later and I don’t feel like I need to go back to get my annual shot. The one thing weird I noticed was the next day I had an episode of facial flushing. I found out later that was probably due to the shot. I don’t recall ever having that reaction before.</p>

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<p>I’ve had two shots in the top of my foot because I have deteriorating joints between my foot bones. It makes a huge difference! I think for me, though, that part of the “immediate” was that he froze my foot with some sort of anesthetic to do the shot–instant no pain. </p>

<p>I’d like to make it annual–I had thought that there was only so many times you can get a cortisone shot without doing damage, but maybe that’s not true.</p>

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<p>The reason I asked is that I had 6 steroid injections into my back/neck for inflammation associated with herniated discs last fall, each time a pain medicine was included in the procedure, and each time I was counseled that steroids are not an immediate fix as the anti-inflammatory effects take at minimum 48 hours, and often, 72 hours. </p>

<p>As a nurse, I learned that the pharmacology of steroids is such that the benefits will not be seen for several days.</p>

<p>Whatever the reason for your relief, that is a good thing. The benefits of these injections can be rather long lasting if you are lucky.</p>

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<p>nysmile, your original post sounds just like me a couple months ago. But my long term foot nightmare was a hammer toe. Got it fixed Feb 8 after several shots of cortisone. Still sore but what the heck, it’s supposed to be, plus it was sore for 2 years (like a stone under the ball of the foot) before surgery so no biggie. </p>

<p>Anyway three thoughts… First, and I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but May surgery means painful recovery during the outside/walking (for me, beach) season. That’s why I chose February, so I can be better by summer. But I do understand you may want to just get it over with since it’s so annoying.</p>

<p>Second…recently took about a dozen pairs of shoes to be stretched (width, that is). I can’t tell you the difference. I never knew my shoes were tight…now I know. Get 'em widened. Took a few days, cost about $8 a pair, worth every cent.</p>

<p>Third…and I assume there is similarity between most foot surgeries…ice, ice, ice. Even a few weeks out, the doc had me icing while watching tv or sitting at the computer. I believe it helped.</p>

<p>Steroid injections contain some lidocaine, merely to lessen the pain of the injection. No long term effect from the lidocaine.</p>

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<p>I think I had my surgery in March or April.
Which meant I was on crutches for opening day of baseball.
Which meant inside parking & special treatment!
;)</p>

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<p>Nrdsb4 - I am now 10 weeks into a pinched nerve at c5-6 and C 6-7. I have rescheduled the cortisone shot twice because I am nervous about someone shooting something into my spine. Today I saw a new neurologist and he talked me into scheduling the shot with an anesthesiologist. I just won’t to go on record as saying I HATE herniated discs!</p>

<p>How long did your relief last from each shot?</p>

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<p>Nrdsb4 - were you given the choice between steroid injections and a cervical epidural? I don’t understand the difference…back to Google</p>

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<p>I had what is called epidural steroid injections (aka ESI). The first time I had them injected into my neck and lumbar spine, they worked for over 18 months.</p>

<p>Last fall, none of them worked because it turned out that inflammation from a pinched nerve (as a result of a herniated disc) was not my primary problem. I had an enormous bone spur which was pressing on my spinal cord, causing numbness and weakness in my right arm and leg. Anti inflammatory treatment cannot shrink a bone spur, so none of the treatments were successful. The only cure for my problem was a cervical fusion surgery (I pretty much had no disc remaining at C6-C7).</p>

<p>I found the injections to be a painless procedure, but my pain doc uses CRNAs or Anesthesiologists for propofol administration, so I was asleep. It is only about a 10-20 minute procedure, I had no adverse effects, and I had good relief the first time-it was the right treatment for me.</p>

<p>This might be helpful:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-ESI.htm[/url]”>http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-ESI.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Sorry about hijacking this thread. I just had a potentially unsuccessful MRI to see if my problem is bone spurs. I cannot lay with my Head flat without setting off the nerve so I insisted on a tiny pillow under my head which means i didnt wear the head antenna. </p>

<p>Nrdsbj- If you don’t mind I might pm you after I get the results from MRI and EMG.</p>

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<p>Kajon - Pinched nerve at C6-C7. Pain and tingling radiating across my shoulder and down my left arm. It got to be almost constant pain and I could barely function at anything.</p>

<p>I had a series of 3 cortisone shots each spaced about 2 weeks apart. They each reduced the pain and tingling. The first one got rid of enough pain that I felt I could function again. The final one took care of it completely.</p>

<p>An anesthesiologist did the injections. I had them while awake. He used a local anesthetic before the cortisone injections. The local felt like getting a dental anesthetic injection, just into the neck rather than the mouth. That’s all the pain there was. </p>

<p>That was 1 1/2 years ago. I now only get pain if I lift something heavy with my arms out-stretched. And that pain only stays as long as I stupidly remain holding the object.</p>

<p>I was REALLY scared before the procedure. I didn’t want any needles near my spine. I would NOT hesitate to do it again if needed. I call it a miracle drug.</p>