Steroid injections

felicityh

Hi all -
I'm getting a steroid injection into my finger within the next week or so but I've been hearing/reading conflicting advice over how often you can get them. The NHS page and NICE guidelines say that (per joint) 4 a year max (so every 3 months) but my nurse seemed a bit hesitant over me having another one so soon as my last one into this same joint was early February (which is over 3 months ago). I also had an injection into this same joint last July. In smaller joints is it recommended that you have less than 4 a year? I don't want to cause myself any extra damage by getting them too often but I also don't want the pain and swelling and damage the arthritis brings so it's a hard balance to get right. Any advice or research articles/guidelines would be great! Thank you xx

Lotsofpain

I had 2 in my finger to prevent it triggering separated by about 6 months but after that they would not do another one as they said there was a danger of demolishing the tendon

dreamdaisy

None of us want the pain and damage of arthritis but sadly it's not an either /or situation. Medical steroids thin all body tissues, skin, muscles, organs, bone so although they effectively reduce pain (which does feel good) the long-term effects are deleterious, to say the least. We have to ignore short-term relief and focus on the long-term benefit of the other meds.

I apologise for not remembering what kind of arthritis you have, I have an auto-immune plus OA and to look at me you wouldn't know it apart from my knees but I keep those hidden. I'm twenty plus years in so the DMARDs have worked on that front. DD