Cortisone Injection Treatment
While Cortisol is a type of steroid that is produced naturally within your body by the adrenal gland, injectable cortisone is synthetically produced and has many trade names (e.g. Celestone, Kenalog, etc.), but is a close derivative of your body’s own cortisol.
The most noticeable differences between natural and synthetic cortisone is that natural produced cortisol is released into the blood stream while synthetic cortisone is not injected into the bloodstream, but into a particular area of inflammation. Also, synthetic cortisone is designed to act more potently and for a longer period of time (normally days).
How Does Cortisone Injections Help?
It is important to remember that Cortisone is not a pain relieving medication, but an anti-inflammatory medication. When pain is decreased from a cortisone injection it is because the inflammation is diminished. Administered Cortisone shots normally work within a few days and their effects last up to several weeks.
Most orthopedic surgeons mix cortisone shots with a local anesthetic to provide immediate pain relief. This can be helpful as diagnosis as well since the doctor will know that the anesthetic was delivered to the right location if the pain relief occurs quickly.
For more information regarding Cortisone Shots, we recommend to read the following Cortisone Injections Article.