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Playing sports can place your elbow under tremendous pressure and torque. A tennis elbow injection of a corticosteroid medication can ease the pain on the outside of your joint. Similarly, a well-placed golfer’s elbow cortisone injection can relieve the pain on the inside of your elbow. These injections reduce inflammation, giving your body time to heal.
Your elbow is the intersection of three bones: the humerus of your upper arm and your two forearm bones, the radius, and the ulna. Not only is your elbow flexible, allowing your arms to bend and twist, but it’s also the conduit for important nerves that control the fine movements of your hands and fingers. When you experience elbow pain, whether, from an injury or ailment, it impacts what you can and can’t do — at work, at play, and even at rest.
Your elbow certainly can take a beating from playing sports. Baseball, tennis, and golf — any racquet sport, for that matter — put stress on your elbow. If you play often enough, the wear and tear can eventually irritate the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that hold your elbow together and allow you to make all those complex movements.
If one or both of your elbows are hurting, make an appointment with the Sports and Pain Institute of New York. The doctor examines you and takes a complete medical history, which includes the sports you play and when you noticed the pain. You can get help in this medical practice even if your injury isn’t sports-related.
The first course of action, after your physician reaches an accurate diagnosis, is to pursue conservative treatment options. Rest is the first option. If you were playing sports, stop to allow your elbow to heal. Over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen, may help ease your pain and inflammation. Physical therapy is another possible treatment.
If those non-aggressive alternatives don’t provide the kind of pain relief you need, the next level of treatment involves steroid injections:
Cortisone is a steroid-based medicine that’s in common use today. It reduces inflammation, which allows your muscles and tendons to heal by themselves. Instead of waiting months, you may heal enough to get back to your game of choice in weeks. And while cortisone isn’t a cure by itself, it eases your pain for months at a time. Rest, ice and stretching do the rest.
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, strikes when you’ve aggravated the muscle and soft tissue of your outer elbow. These muscles connect your forearm muscle to your elbow. If you’ve developed tennis elbow, you probably know it, as the pain from your elbow when you move it is the main symptom. Swelling and tenderness may also be present.
You don’t have to play tennis to get tennis elbow. It’s caused by repetitive arm, wrist, and hand movements. That can be swinging a tennis racquet or stocking shelves. Your top-rated pain management specialist in NYC can provide a tennis elbow injection to start you on the path back to full health.
Golfer’s elbow, also called medial epicondylitis, upsets the muscles on the inside of your elbow. These are the ones that connect your inner forearm to your elbow. It’s caused by the kind of pressure simulated by swinging a golf club — basically, the force placed on your wrists and fingers.
It doesn’t hurt, first of all. After making you comfortable in the office, your sports and pain physician numbs the area where the injection goes. The injection itself takes just a few minutes. Afterward, you should feel immediate pain relief, as the injection also contains a local anesthetic for short-term relief. After that wears off, your pain may return, but once the steroid medication starts working, in a few days, you should feel a significant pain reduction.
Cortisone injections are safe, and their effectiveness lasts for several months. You can only have these tennis elbow injections or golfer’s elbow cortisone injections three or four times a year. They are not an answer for chronic pain.
My experience at the pain and sports clinic was so pleasant it was peaceful, the doctor was very very knowledgeable and I didn’t feel any pain in my elbow with the injection I was very pleased with the outcome thank you
Roslyn MccrayAn elbow injection is done to relieve pain, inflammation, and stiffness in the joint. The shot consists of a corticosteroid and anesthetic. It works by relieving the pain and inflammation in your elbow joint to increase your range of motion.
Steroid elbow injections are safe when limited to 4 times a year. Larger doses can have potential side effects. Side effects may include: worsening arthritis pain, weakening of tendons and bones, or damage to the cartilage. However, one injection should be enough to relieve your symptoms. So only use elbow injections when recommended by your doctor.
The cortisol shot may cause some discomfort at the injection site. The level of pain depends on the injection location and needle size. A smaller injection location causes more discomfort. Larger needles also, as expected, cause more pain so ask your doctor to use a smaller gauge. An anesthetic is administered at the same time as the corticosteroid to decrease the number of shots. But you can also ask your doctor for a numbing cream before the shot.
How long an elbow injection takes to work depends on the individual. Some patients experience relief right away. While others say they feel better within 24 to 48 hours. The injection works by relieving inflammation. So wait a few weeks to schedule a follow up to determine the full results.
Relief from a steroid shot lasts from 2 to 3 months. Elbow injections work better if used in combination with physical therapy. It also depends what the injection was used for. Steroid shots for joint pain tend to last longer.
Right after your elbow injection you can expect a “steroid flare-up”. This means you may experience some inflammation at the injection site. This should subside within 48 hours. After a few days you should expect relief in pain and inflammation. This makes it easier for you to participate in physical therapy.
You can go home, drive, and go to work right after your elbow injection. Try to avoid strenuous activity. If you plan on going to the gym keep your workouts light at first. Keep an eye on the injection site for minor side effects such as allergic reaction or infection. If you have a rash, swelling, or fever call your doctor.
You should remain active after a cortisone shot, but try not to over exert yourself. Make sure you don’t feel any pain or discomfort when working out because this can cause damage to the joint.
You can shower right after your elbow infection. Avoid bathtubs, hot tubs, saunas, or swimming for 2 days after your shot.
Insurance covers an elbow injection. The price of a cortisone elbow shot without insurance is around $150.
You can get a steroid elbow injection 3-4 times a year. Too many injections can cause negative side effects so try to only get the shot when recommended by your doctor.
Do you have any questions about the elbow injection treatment we offer in NYC? Would you like to schedule an appointment with the best-rated specialist Febin Melepura MD of a sports pain management clinic in New York? Please contact our office for a consultation with the pain relief specialist in Midtown Manhattan.
Sports Injury & Pain Management Clinic of New York
Febin Melepura, MD is a top rated, best in class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award winning expert and contributor to a prominent media outlets.
Dr. Febin Melepura has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain and, among other accolades, has been named a “top pain management doctor in New York”, and one of “America’s Top Doctors™” for an advanced sports injury treatments.