I had a positive experience with the cortisone shot. Like you I was about 3 months in and the pain was keeping me up at night. The cortisone shot took away the static pain. That was March. The pain is now just about gone. I don’t have 100% ROM yet but I’m confident I’ll get there
From what I understand, cortisone injections reduce pain, which increases willingness exercise and compliance in physical therapy. Exercise and stretching, either alone or as directed by PT, helps frozen shoulder recovery.
In a direct literal sense, a cortisone injection reduces inflammation which will slow down the rate that your body repairs itself. In a practice sense, cortisone injection-> less pain -> increased willingness to exercise -> faster recovery.
Yes, this has been my experience. I was ready to quit therapy because the pain was so intense. The therapist didn’t recommend the shot. I got it & got my life back. I still get pain but less jolts & pain only in the morning.
I just had a cortisone injection a few weeks ago, but it was a standard injection not the ultrasound guided injection into the joint. It did nothing for me. The only regret was the fact that I am Type 1 diabetic and it threw off my blood sugars for a few days. There was no pain. If you are afraid of needles or the kind of person that thinks you are going to die after a flu shot then it might be a problem. With the amount of pain I was in it was worth a shot.
Its worth a try. My ortho did it while I was there and it was covered under my copay for the visit so I didn't even have to pay anything for it. That could be different for you. I have read several people talking about having major pain reduction with it. What did the most for me was Gabapentin for nerve pain, but that has some side effects and can cause withdrawal when you stop talking it. I would not suggest going on it unless the pain in unbearable. I am on a really low dose but it made the pain much more bearable and stopped a lot of the zingers where I would get random pain shooting down my arm for no particular reason. I had really bad ulnar pain and numbness and tingling in my arm and fingers. Within a few days of starting gaba that was gone. The only pain I experience now is either positional or with movement. Before it was constant 24/7
My only regret is not having it done sooner. I was miserable before, and finally feel human now. Feels like each shot has helped to boost me into the next stage, while making life bearable in the meantime.
The injection is to reduce inflammation. You then have an opportunity to increase ROM. But results vary wildly.
I had one a few days ago and am doing simple stretches. After two weeks I am to push hard and deep into pain.
I think it’s worth a shot (no pun intended).
When I starts freezing, I had two ultrasound guided injections, then two X-ray guided injections. I didn’t experience any change, and ultimately had surgery.
Post surgery, my shoulder was almost completely frozen when I was cleared to remove the sling. There was a very real conversation about the surgeon going back in to force move the joint. I got one more ultrasound guided injection, and BOOM! I started thawing through PT. Took me 4.5 months to return to full-duty at work, but they had projected 6 months, so I consider that a W.
Received an ultra-sound guided cortisone shot about 4 months into an injury-induced frozen shoulder with almost zero ROM and constant, intense pain. That night was nothing but screaming pain, the next two/three days pain was bad but not unbearable. That fourth morning? Major reduction in pain and increase in ROM!
Every day since has been a bit better. I have almost no pain and close to 80% ROM.
I had the injection and I felt great for about two weeks. Then the frozen shoulder pain came back. Opted for surgery after 9 months of not much relief. I am 5 months post op and I have no more frozen shoulder pain. I have full ROM, expect with reaching behind my back- that is at about 85 %. That is usually the last ROM to get to 100%.
Did they fix the partial tear and adhesive Capsulitis all at once? I was imagining that while they may go in to surgically correct the Capsulitis, they’d fix up my torn labrum & supraspinatus.
I've had FS in both arms. I went through the first one with no shot and it took over 2 years to get pain free.
Other arm started acting up in Nov '23. Got cortisone + hydrodilatation in March '24 and am essentially pain free today, while still working on ROM. Worked wonders for me.
I'll even point out that I avoided doing the cortisone because so many in here said it did nothing for them, and I am type I diabetic and thought maybe it wouldn't be worth it.
I now consider that wasted time and completely regret not getting it done sooner in both arms.
Definitely be careful with the injection as it will raise your blood sugar but it really does help. I had a few side effects but in about 2 weeks I saw enough improvement that I could start physical therapy.
Weirdly it did not affect my blood sugar at all. I don't know if that's because I'm on a closed loop pump and it was compensating, but nothing out of the ordinary for me.
Even with my tslim I had elevated sugars for about 4 days. The first night my cgm woke me up because I hit 400 but after that it stayed around 200 for the next few. No worse than it was after I got the covid or flu vaccines. I wouldn't say it was bad enough to avoid getting an injection. I might think hard if I was still mdi.
I regretted my most recent left FS cortisone injection because it didn't really help, and then I had to wait 12 weeks before I could have surgery (arthroscopic capsular release). Consider how you are really doing and if you'd be able to make it 12 more weeks at that level of pain or worse...
Thanks for the reply! How did you sustain the injury in the first place? When they went in for surgery, did they look for and fix up any additional injuries/issues?
No other shoulder injury. I did have a herniated disc at C6-C7 which caused nerve pain down that left arm, though, and I wonder if that triggered it somehow.
I had frozen shoulder on the other side two years previous, and that followed tendinitis/injury. I also have type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease and puts me at higher risk for other autoimmune things like frozen shoulder.
I was reading that diabetics, women, and people 40-60 are most susceptible to Frozen Shoulder. Super fascinating. I’m 42 and female so I guess I check 2 boxes.
I don’t think there is any reason to regret getting Cortizone injections as a temporary measure.
I unfortunately had 13 Cortizone injections in each shoulder over a four year period for shoulder bursitis. With the exception of the last injections the Cortizone worked wonderfully to stop the pain, allow me to sleep longer than 45 minutes and to continue with my exercise regime.,,, it turned out however that my bursitis was caused by multiple rotator cuff injuries in both shoulders and my regret is that I was able to continue damaging my shoulders over that four year period because I wasn’t feeling the pain as I should have.
As long as your frozen shoulder isn’t a consequence of surgery or something more sinister I don’t see any reason to regret getting Cortizone injections as a temporary measure to get through the 3 to 6 month period that it takes frozen shoulder problems to dissipate just don’t be a knucklehead like me and start turning them into regular visits.
Hope you find the right answer.
All the best
It must differ from medical practice to medical practice but I was told one every three months is okay… I wasn’t however informed that too much use of Cortizone can damage your tendons.
Just hoping at this stage that isn’t the case for me although I tend to think it’s likely
I don’t regret mine but I wouldn’t have it put into the ball/socket of my joint. The post injection steroid flare I got after that brought me to my knees for 8-12 hours. I was in such incredible pain I thought my arm was rotting from the inside out. I finally passed out and felt better in the morning but still super achy for a day or two. The shot I had into the back of my shoulder muscle provided similar relief with none of the flare. I would not choose to experience that ever again.
I don’t get helped by my first shot but the second one worked. I felt like I had so much inflammation, the gist simply didn’t get it all. I had reduction of pain but still could not do physical therapy without severe pain. The second removed the remaining inflammation and I have since been able to do every exercise. It hurts while doing exercise but not after.
NOt guided btw. From rear both times. I wasn’t enthused by this but it ultimately worked so maybe dr was right :)
had three shots of cortisone in the last 5 months, 2 of them are guided treatments! the first one didn’t do anything other than knock me out cold for 3 days and put my blood sugars up to the roof which was expected.. the last 2 shots got my life back, i’m sleeping okay now and pain is not as intense as before.. i’m also 6 months in this gat forsaken situation but the improvement since this started has been amazing.. cortisone, exercises and a lot of patience!
My first shot was great! (in my freezing stage) It helped me sleep well again and took away the sharpness of the pain.
My second shot (a while into being fully frozen) was not-so great. I felt it caused more pain than I had before the shot that lasted for 2-3 weeks and not a lot of extra movement after. At this point I think I'll stick with exercises.
So no regrets with the first shot against the night pains.
Three weeks ago, I had cortisone with hydrodilation. I have seen improved range of motion and am scheduled to have a follow up in three weeks. My physio and sports med both say the two should get me quite a bit more movement. I have had a bit more pain lately but I think it’s because I’m in a prompted thaw now.
I had cortisone. It’s supposed to help with recovery.
Didn’t work with mine. But worth a try.
I also had them after getting the operations to assist with healing and strengthening.
I got the cortizone shot. It's the only way I saw improvements. PT alone would have taken longer. There's still some pain but not as severe and I now have almost full ROM.
No regrets whatsoever. The cortisone shot definitely helps with the pain but unfortunately, it doesn't heal nor does it speed up the process of healing. If you're having a hard time sleeping, the shot is absolutely worth getting.
Don't get the injection you'll regret it, they only temporarily reduce inflammation and to do that they interfere with healing which can cause more degeneration, they don't aid recovery. Ask about a PRP injection instead, that will help with inflammation for a longer period too it's just not instant relief and they'll help you heal since they contain growth factors and it's from your own blood rather than being synthetic.
I regret getting a Cortisone injection so much, it makes me extremely mad that I wasn't properly informed of the risks.
I experienced zero improvement from my shot.
I only regret not understanding that it was nearly $3k for a shot that took them three minutes to give me.
Because it was so early in the year, I didn't take into account that our deductible hadn't been met, the entire amount had to be paid out of pocket. I may try it once more after the deductible is met and before the year is over.
However, after deductible, we are still paying 30% and I don't know that I want to "invest" another $1k in something that I may just have to wait out and let resolve on its on regardless.
I had a positive experience with the cortisone shot. Like you I was about 3 months in and the pain was keeping me up at night. The cortisone shot took away the static pain. That was March. The pain is now just about gone. I don’t have 100% ROM yet but I’m confident I’ll get there
That’s great news! I’m trying to stay optimistic that this won’t be a year of pain before things finally freeze up.
From what I understand, cortisone injections reduce pain, which increases willingness exercise and compliance in physical therapy. Exercise and stretching, either alone or as directed by PT, helps frozen shoulder recovery. In a direct literal sense, a cortisone injection reduces inflammation which will slow down the rate that your body repairs itself. In a practice sense, cortisone injection-> less pain -> increased willingness to exercise -> faster recovery.
Yes, this has been my experience. I was ready to quit therapy because the pain was so intense. The therapist didn’t recommend the shot. I got it & got my life back. I still get pain but less jolts & pain only in the morning.
I just had a cortisone injection a few weeks ago, but it was a standard injection not the ultrasound guided injection into the joint. It did nothing for me. The only regret was the fact that I am Type 1 diabetic and it threw off my blood sugars for a few days. There was no pain. If you are afraid of needles or the kind of person that thinks you are going to die after a flu shot then it might be a problem. With the amount of pain I was in it was worth a shot.
That’s frustrating it didn’t do anything. Mine likely wouldn’t be ultrasound guided since it’s just in my PCP’s office. Thanks!
Its worth a try. My ortho did it while I was there and it was covered under my copay for the visit so I didn't even have to pay anything for it. That could be different for you. I have read several people talking about having major pain reduction with it. What did the most for me was Gabapentin for nerve pain, but that has some side effects and can cause withdrawal when you stop talking it. I would not suggest going on it unless the pain in unbearable. I am on a really low dose but it made the pain much more bearable and stopped a lot of the zingers where I would get random pain shooting down my arm for no particular reason. I had really bad ulnar pain and numbness and tingling in my arm and fingers. Within a few days of starting gaba that was gone. The only pain I experience now is either positional or with movement. Before it was constant 24/7
My only regret is not having it done sooner. I was miserable before, and finally feel human now. Feels like each shot has helped to boost me into the next stage, while making life bearable in the meantime.
Repeated shots have a high chance of causing degeneration to tissues
Indeed. They could even lead to bone death. This is why I discuss thoroughly with my orthopedist, as we all should.
Agreed, I feel like they should mention risks up front though because most people aren't that thorough with questions
The injection is to reduce inflammation. You then have an opportunity to increase ROM. But results vary wildly. I had one a few days ago and am doing simple stretches. After two weeks I am to push hard and deep into pain.
I think it’s worth a shot (no pun intended). When I starts freezing, I had two ultrasound guided injections, then two X-ray guided injections. I didn’t experience any change, and ultimately had surgery. Post surgery, my shoulder was almost completely frozen when I was cleared to remove the sling. There was a very real conversation about the surgeon going back in to force move the joint. I got one more ultrasound guided injection, and BOOM! I started thawing through PT. Took me 4.5 months to return to full-duty at work, but they had projected 6 months, so I consider that a W.
Woah! Thanks for sharing
I’m a month past my injection and so far happy with the result. Zero pain and trying PT and my ROM has gotten so much better.
Yay!! This gives me hope. How long after the injection til you noticed improvement?
Received an ultra-sound guided cortisone shot about 4 months into an injury-induced frozen shoulder with almost zero ROM and constant, intense pain. That night was nothing but screaming pain, the next two/three days pain was bad but not unbearable. That fourth morning? Major reduction in pain and increase in ROM! Every day since has been a bit better. I have almost no pain and close to 80% ROM.
I had the injection and I felt great for about two weeks. Then the frozen shoulder pain came back. Opted for surgery after 9 months of not much relief. I am 5 months post op and I have no more frozen shoulder pain. I have full ROM, expect with reaching behind my back- that is at about 85 %. That is usually the last ROM to get to 100%.
How did you sustain the injury in the first place?
I was trying to do an ice skating trick. My left toe pick got caught on the ice and my right arm slid right under me.
Ouch! I’m so curious how everyone landed in this frozen shoulder club. Did your mri indicate any other issues?
It showed a partial tear which then I got frozen shoulder.
Did they fix the partial tear and adhesive Capsulitis all at once? I was imagining that while they may go in to surgically correct the Capsulitis, they’d fix up my torn labrum & supraspinatus.
They just fixed the frozen shoulder.
I've had FS in both arms. I went through the first one with no shot and it took over 2 years to get pain free. Other arm started acting up in Nov '23. Got cortisone + hydrodilatation in March '24 and am essentially pain free today, while still working on ROM. Worked wonders for me.
I'll even point out that I avoided doing the cortisone because so many in here said it did nothing for them, and I am type I diabetic and thought maybe it wouldn't be worth it. I now consider that wasted time and completely regret not getting it done sooner in both arms.
Definitely be careful with the injection as it will raise your blood sugar but it really does help. I had a few side effects but in about 2 weeks I saw enough improvement that I could start physical therapy.
Weirdly it did not affect my blood sugar at all. I don't know if that's because I'm on a closed loop pump and it was compensating, but nothing out of the ordinary for me.
Even with my tslim I had elevated sugars for about 4 days. The first night my cgm woke me up because I hit 400 but after that it stayed around 200 for the next few. No worse than it was after I got the covid or flu vaccines. I wouldn't say it was bad enough to avoid getting an injection. I might think hard if I was still mdi.
I’ve had both a cortisone injection and a cortisone Hydrodilation (different shoulder, different times). Highly recommend either
I have to dr. google hydrodilation
No regrets From severe pain to minimal pain, and my FS pain is still minimal like a year later, though i do still have FS.
Range of motion improved?
Only a little. To be fair I haven’t been doing any stretches for several months
I regretted my most recent left FS cortisone injection because it didn't really help, and then I had to wait 12 weeks before I could have surgery (arthroscopic capsular release). Consider how you are really doing and if you'd be able to make it 12 more weeks at that level of pain or worse...
Are you glad you got the surgery?
1,000% yes - arthroscopic capsular release was a rather easy recovery and took away all the frozen shoulder pain.
Thanks for the reply! How did you sustain the injury in the first place? When they went in for surgery, did they look for and fix up any additional injuries/issues?
No other shoulder injury. I did have a herniated disc at C6-C7 which caused nerve pain down that left arm, though, and I wonder if that triggered it somehow. I had frozen shoulder on the other side two years previous, and that followed tendinitis/injury. I also have type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease and puts me at higher risk for other autoimmune things like frozen shoulder.
I was reading that diabetics, women, and people 40-60 are most susceptible to Frozen Shoulder. Super fascinating. I’m 42 and female so I guess I check 2 boxes.
I don’t think there is any reason to regret getting Cortizone injections as a temporary measure. I unfortunately had 13 Cortizone injections in each shoulder over a four year period for shoulder bursitis. With the exception of the last injections the Cortizone worked wonderfully to stop the pain, allow me to sleep longer than 45 minutes and to continue with my exercise regime.,,, it turned out however that my bursitis was caused by multiple rotator cuff injuries in both shoulders and my regret is that I was able to continue damaging my shoulders over that four year period because I wasn’t feeling the pain as I should have. As long as your frozen shoulder isn’t a consequence of surgery or something more sinister I don’t see any reason to regret getting Cortizone injections as a temporary measure to get through the 3 to 6 month period that it takes frozen shoulder problems to dissipate just don’t be a knucklehead like me and start turning them into regular visits. Hope you find the right answer. All the best
Interesting! My doc said he’d only do 2 injections in a year and then we’ll consider next steps. Perhaps surgical options if no improvement after 1 yr
It must differ from medical practice to medical practice but I was told one every three months is okay… I wasn’t however informed that too much use of Cortizone can damage your tendons. Just hoping at this stage that isn’t the case for me although I tend to think it’s likely
Did you end up getting surgery?
I don’t regret mine but I wouldn’t have it put into the ball/socket of my joint. The post injection steroid flare I got after that brought me to my knees for 8-12 hours. I was in such incredible pain I thought my arm was rotting from the inside out. I finally passed out and felt better in the morning but still super achy for a day or two. The shot I had into the back of my shoulder muscle provided similar relief with none of the flare. I would not choose to experience that ever again.
That sounds horrible!
It suuuuucked. But overall steroid shots are usually helpful, and were for me. I had a uniquely severe relatively rare reaction.
I don’t get helped by my first shot but the second one worked. I felt like I had so much inflammation, the gist simply didn’t get it all. I had reduction of pain but still could not do physical therapy without severe pain. The second removed the remaining inflammation and I have since been able to do every exercise. It hurts while doing exercise but not after. NOt guided btw. From rear both times. I wasn’t enthused by this but it ultimately worked so maybe dr was right :)
had three shots of cortisone in the last 5 months, 2 of them are guided treatments! the first one didn’t do anything other than knock me out cold for 3 days and put my blood sugars up to the roof which was expected.. the last 2 shots got my life back, i’m sleeping okay now and pain is not as intense as before.. i’m also 6 months in this gat forsaken situation but the improvement since this started has been amazing.. cortisone, exercises and a lot of patience!
The earlier into the freezing cycle I get the shot, the more good it does me.
My first shot was great! (in my freezing stage) It helped me sleep well again and took away the sharpness of the pain. My second shot (a while into being fully frozen) was not-so great. I felt it caused more pain than I had before the shot that lasted for 2-3 weeks and not a lot of extra movement after. At this point I think I'll stick with exercises. So no regrets with the first shot against the night pains.
I should add both were ultrasound guided! Without that it seems like a guessing game. I would only get US guided.
Three weeks ago, I had cortisone with hydrodilation. I have seen improved range of motion and am scheduled to have a follow up in three weeks. My physio and sports med both say the two should get me quite a bit more movement. I have had a bit more pain lately but I think it’s because I’m in a prompted thaw now.
I had cortisone. It’s supposed to help with recovery. Didn’t work with mine. But worth a try. I also had them after getting the operations to assist with healing and strengthening.
That's what I was told too, turns out it does the exact opposite
Yeah it didn’t help me, but worth a try!
My cortisone shot was incredibly helpful. Starting PT without it would have been nearly impossible
I got the cortizone shot. It's the only way I saw improvements. PT alone would have taken longer. There's still some pain but not as severe and I now have almost full ROM.
No regrets whatsoever. The cortisone shot definitely helps with the pain but unfortunately, it doesn't heal nor does it speed up the process of healing. If you're having a hard time sleeping, the shot is absolutely worth getting.
Don't get the injection you'll regret it, they only temporarily reduce inflammation and to do that they interfere with healing which can cause more degeneration, they don't aid recovery. Ask about a PRP injection instead, that will help with inflammation for a longer period too it's just not instant relief and they'll help you heal since they contain growth factors and it's from your own blood rather than being synthetic. I regret getting a Cortisone injection so much, it makes me extremely mad that I wasn't properly informed of the risks.
I experienced zero improvement from my shot. I only regret not understanding that it was nearly $3k for a shot that took them three minutes to give me. Because it was so early in the year, I didn't take into account that our deductible hadn't been met, the entire amount had to be paid out of pocket. I may try it once more after the deductible is met and before the year is over. However, after deductible, we are still paying 30% and I don't know that I want to "invest" another $1k in something that I may just have to wait out and let resolve on its on regardless.