THINKING TWICE ABOUT CORTISONE INJECTIONS FOR HIP AND KNEE PAIN

According to a 2016 study, 30 million Americans have osteoarthritis and more than 1/3 of Medicare patients newly diagnosed with knee arthritis received steroid injections. However, new evidence suggests that such treatment might cause more dysfunction than originally believed.

In a recent Boston University School of Medicine study, “Perhaps Not as Safe as We Thought,” of 459 steroid injections to hips and knees during 2018, 8% of patients had complications including “joint degeneration that progressed very rapidly, fractures and bone loss.” (Kompel et al). An editorial accompanying the study warned that a “growing body of evidence that steroids may accelerate arthritis.” (Kijowski)

While the study is not conclusive that steroid injections are harmful, more research needs to be done and patients should definitely ask questions before having an injection. As always, if you are experiencing knee, hip or other joint pain, choose PT first and contact ANCPT for a thorough evaluation.

Andrew J. Kompel, Frank W. Roemer, Akira M. Murakami, Luis E. Diaz, Michel D. Crema, Ali Gu. Intra-articular Corticosteroid Injections in the Hip and Knee: Perhaps Not as Safe as We Thought? Radiology, Vol 293, No.3, December, 2019.