Who is a steroid injection for? Steroid injections are determined by the doctor based on the needs of each patient. If you have any questions about steroid injections ask your doctor. If you are worried about receiving an injection talk to your doctor about other options and find out why they think an injection would be a good route for you to take. Make sure you understand what he is telling you.

Why should I consider an injection? Steroid injections work because of the ability it has to reduce inflammation. Giving people relief for week at a time. Sometimes our bodies need to have a little boost to fix the problem and an injection can be that boost. An injection can be a great method of treatment if you need relief fast so you can finish an activity such as an athlete in the middle of competition season. Cortisol, the main drug used in steroid injections, is modeled after the natural drug that is produced by our adrenal glands.

What do they do? Most of the time your doctor will inject the steroid directly into the problem area. However, sometimes they will use oral pills to get the job done. How your body reacts to the steroid will determine how you should proceed.

Risks involved As with all medical remedies, some risks are associated with receiving a steroid injection. The most common side effect is tendinitis, which can occur when receiving the injections too frequently. Another risk is additional injury to the muscle from over-use because it is feeling better but is not yet healed. An unlikely risk, but possible, is the development of fungal meningitis.