Recovering Properly from Hip Cortisone Injections: What You Can Do

Updated on June 18, 2022

If you’re suffering from hip pain or stiffness, a Cortisone injection can relieve a lot of the issues that are specific to that kind of disorder. But some of the most important steps to any recovery involving muscular stress are after the treatment. A lot of bruising and swelling accompany even the best injections, so be prepared for that while also pursuing bed rest, especially for the side that was injected into. But there are other extremely easy things you can do to maximize the level of recovery in your hip after a Cortisone injection, so let’s go through some of the most effective.

Proper Rest and Elevation

A lot of doctors will simply prescribe that you take it easy, or another similar phrase, after the day of the injection. This is one way to summarize the kind of rest that will benefit your hip, but the proper movement of the hip may require actually elevating your leg, which may or may not assist in recovery. This kind of specific form of rest is beneficial at a normal level for all joints, but specifically for hips keeping things stable, iced, and elevated is a surefire way to keep your shot working as it should.

The normal set of steroid injections for hip problems involve a local anesthetic to minimize pain during the procedure. Your doctor may recommend getting off blood thinners including aspirin for a period of time prior to the injection. This is an important mechanism for avoiding problems during and after the procedure, so follow their advice down to the smallest details to avoid a complication.

Infection Risk Minimization

Infection can be a serious thing nowadays that antibiotics may or may not be able to treat effectively, so it’s important to lower the chance of needing them in the first place. The best thing to do for this is to stay vigilant at the same time avoiding activities that involve submersion in water is also best saved for another time. You can easily visit this website to see potential side effects that may require further counsel from a medical professional.

Signs of infection include redness, swelling, or ramping up pain that all last more than 48 hours. These symptoms are relatively normal right after, but if they persist it’s best to go back in to see whoever gave you the shot. Doctors know best in infection identification, so make sure you don’t do anything without their oversight first.

Risks and Solutions

Cortisone itself comes with a variety of risks that anyone interested in the injection should take into account. Side effects of cortisone can range from minor skin problems and fat atrophy below the skin to actual increases in blood sugar. You can see a full list here: https://www.arthritis-health.com/treatment/injections/cortisone-injection-risks-and-side-effects and use the possibilities to inform yourself on dietary issues, skincare problems, and other similar problems that may occur after a procedure.

Lax Conclusions

Even if you end up with elevated blood sugar, a full set of the worst possible side effects of Cortisone are fairly minor. Considering the average medical commercial has a long list of low-spoken side effects, this drug is well understood even in the most fringe cases. The best advice for recovery? Relax, let the drug do its work, and try to resume your life without pain.

That may be an intensely empowering experience for many people, given that chronic pain can often leave patients with a dark cloud above them at all times. This is one reason Cortisone is so common. It works well, it works remarkably quickly, and the side effects are well understood even if they do exist. The more you read up on medicine you will realize that no drug comes without side effects, so think of them more like adjustments than cures to specific ailments. Use your resources to figure out how much rest you will need for your ailing hip after this procedure.

Often with chronic pain or otherwise, the world of medicine can seem bleak and unforgiving in equal measure. Don’t let this pessimism get to you, because injections of anti-inflammatories are safe and effective in equal measure, a true testament to the scientific work of generations of doctors.

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