Cortisone Injection

[Wilf]

I have osteoarthritis right knee, not much cartilage left, so i arranged a cortisone injection. Soon as i mentioned cycling to doctor he said no good for the knee. I then had a debate with him explaining what i thought were the benefits. He then changed it to cycling with minimal pressure which i sort of get. However i live in the welland valley and cycling avoiding hills is impossible. Just wondering what views fellow cyclists have on this, i will start keeping a higher cadence and also stop standing up now and then if this will help me.
certainly not intending to stop now 66 and need all types of exercise.

 

[vickster]

Spin and sit. I have OA in both knees, I've never been discouraged from cycling, however don't stand up and use low gears. I also had to stop clipping in as I don't have enough bend to have my feet in that forwards position. Obviously make sure your saddle is the right height.
I was told not to run (fine by me ) but I swim, do aqua aerobics, gym stuff, walk. If it hurts too much don't do it, simples!

Oh and don't expect the steroid injection to last too long. If your OA is mild to moderate, hyaluronic acid injections are proven but not available on NHS and Private HC won't normally pay either so are a few hundred out of pocket. You can also keep having them unlike steroid (which can further damage the cartilage)

 

[oxoman]

Pretty much what vickster says. Just take it easy no powering up hills etc. If it gets to much pedalling under moderate pressure it may be worth considering an ebike. Got a few in my club that have continued to ride having converted to them after various issues looked to be stopping them.

 

[Drago]

It's often amazed me over the years how incredibly unfit looking doctors seem to have odd ideas about the benefits of exercise. After all, imagine how much worse off youd be if you were less fit, or had less well developed leg musculature, or osteoporosis that could have been held at bay by exercise, etc?

 

[fossyant]

Unfortunately, steroid injections only offer temporary relief, as as Vickster says, can make things worse/cause tissue damage. I have a torn rotator cuff and the doc and I discussed steroid injections as it's been so painful. Decided against it as I was warned it could weaken the tendon, and cause a full tear, needing surgery. Nope. I've had them before in my shoulder and they don't offer relief for long.

 

[vickster]

Unfortunately, steroid injections only offer temporary relief, as as Vickster says, can make things worse/cause tissue damage. I have a torn rotator cuff and the doc and I discussed steroid injections as it's been so painful. Decided against it as I was warned it could weaken the tendon, and cause a full tear, needing surgery. Nope. I've had them before in my shoulder and they don't offer relief for long.

I don't think tendon rupture is common if done under ultrasound guidance by an expert. I had two into a very poorly elbow tendon (tennis elbow) and despite the warning by the consultant radiologist, all good (apart from the fact the jab f'ing hurts) and the second one seems to have fixed it (I was very close to needing surgery) 🤞

 

[Drago]

I had the ultrasound guided injection in my sacked shoulder. 2 or 3 days of excruciating pain (the prodedure itself was off the scale painful, albeit for only 5 or 10 seconds), and once that subsided it was no different than before.

 

[Big John]

I've got OA in my right knee. This was diagnosed by a now-retired specialist just over 20 years ago. I've had cortisone a few times but not for OA but I wasn't offered any for my knee. I was offered surgery to clean up the knee joint which I declined as I was told it would only offer a temporary fix. I was too young apparently for a joint replacement. I had to stop running, which had been my hobby for over 20 years, but I was told I could continue cycling, which I did for getting to work and also whenever I had a running injury. I'm still riding 20 years later and not long after i was diagnosed I even began road racing, which puts a lot of stress I reckon on the joint. My only problem these days is that I can no longer stand and pedal like I used to in sprints or when going up steep hills. I reckon cycling has enabled me to keep active when initially I thought it was the end of the road as far as aerobic exercise was concerned.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I have OA in both knees plus damaged cartilages in both knees too - I'm 63 yo
The first time I ripped a cartilage was 20 years ago, I wasn't cycling then, but already I had the beginning of OA.
Was given exercises, told surgery would be futile, told not to turn in a certain way, nothing about cycling.
Fast forward 8 years, I decided to start cycle commuting, after a few weeks the niggling knee pain I always had completely disappeared.
Mind, I am always in a lower gear than anyone else when I ride in a group, and avoid hills.
Then, during lockdown, there goes the other knee.
Eventually I managed to see a physio, I asked about cycling, he said no problems but clipping in is not recommended.
I use flat pedals anyway.
To recover I was given the usual exercises, but I also used a basic turbo till I was confident I wouldn't fall off.
OA was also confirmed in this second damaged knee by Xray.
I do get pain in my knees, of course, while cycling sometimes, but mostly when I'm not cycling.
Docs are not always right: you can't make the OA worse by cycling, don't they tell us to keep moving?
Like said above, if you live in a hilly area, consider an Ebike.
All the best!

 

[Once a Wheeler]

I started to develop arthritic pain in my wrists and was given a cortisone injection. The doctor advised against repeated use of cortisone and fitted me out with some support gloves for wearing at night. These ensured a good night's sleep but were impractical for waking use. Some time later, I started taking a teaspoonful of inulin (NB, NOT insulin) every day because it was a source soluble fibre that encouraged the development of healthy bacteria in the gut and was thought to diminish visceral fat as a result. Surprise, surprise, some time later the arthritic pain in the wrists diminished and for the last few years the support gloves have stayed permanently in the cupboard. Please remember this is completely anecdotal. Whether inulin really does any good or not is still a matter of debate and whether the benefits of these gut bacteria can extend to easing joint problems is something I have no information on except my own experience. On the plus side, inulin is a neutral fibre extracted from chicory root that should have almost no effect at all on the body if my experience is just a matter of chance. Probably worth a chance to give it a try. At a dose of 1 teaspoonful a day, I would give it three months to see if it works. Good luck, keep riding.

 

[Webbo2]

I had an X-ray on both my painful wrists. It turned out I had a bone spur in one and bone on bone in the other. The consultant offered 3 options.
1. Do nothing
2. Cortisone injections
3. Wrist replacement but he said given my activities such as rock climbing he wasn’t sure they were up to the job.
I went for guided injections and had 3 or 4 years relatively pain free whilst still pursing the same activities. As I had via medical insurance I could only have repeat injections within a six month period.
So I tried Turmeric and so far it’s been reasonably good.