Cortisone Injections

Dr Herald does not perform cortisone injections but can advise whether they are suitable or not for you and refer on.

Short-term complications are uncommon and include lightening of the skin, bleeding, soreness and inflammation. In people with diabetes cortisone can elevate the blood sugar level and cortisone should also be used under careful medical supervision in people with bleeding disorders.

Facial flushing occurs in one in four patients but only lasts briefly, while sweating, dizziness and insomnia are uncommon side effects.

Whilst cortisone injections are generally well tolerated in most patients, due to side effects, most medical guidelines recommend that cortisone injections are used three or four times a year for non-chronic conditions. The recommended maximum number of injections in patients with chronic conditions is generally one injection every six weeks.