And here’s an older video on Cortisone Shots that goes into more detail than the one above:
A Cortisone Shot May Be The Worst Mistake You Can Make In Treating Your Tennis Or Golfer’s Elbow
When it comes to the treating Tennis Elbow, the Cortisone shot is the essence of the quick fix – It can often wipe away pain like magic, sometimes providing instant and complete relief in the short term – But what about the long term?…
Research over the past 10+ years, reveals that the powerful but often fleeting benefits of Cortisone can come at a very high price in the form of long-term consequences – slowed healing, further tendon degeneration damage and even tearing or rupturing – ultimately setting one up for surgery.
Here are the key points you need to know if you’re thinking about getting an injection or you’ve already had one or more:
- Cortisone shots are NOT an effective treatment for Tennis Elbow: They certainly don’t help your tendons heal (they only mask your symptoms),
- Not only are they ineffective at healing they can have the opposite effect; actually damaging your tendons – delaying your recovery by months or even years, (among other serious side-effect risks),
- Medical researchers have known about these damaging effects for decades, yet despite this fact, Doctors continue to give these damaging shots – often without informing you of the full risk involved.
These are well-documented, easy-to-find facts and here are a few key quotes to support them:
“It is clear that, corticosteroid injection into tendon tissue leads to cell death and tendon atrophy. …[Cortisone injections] inhibit collagen synthesis and decrease load to failure”
“…Corticosteroid [Cortisone] injections reduced pain in the short term compared with other interventions, but this effect was reversed at intermediate and long terms.”
Efficacy and Safety of Corticosteroid Injections The Lancet, Vol 376, Iss. 9754, 20 Nov. 2010, Coombes et al
“Those people receiving multiple injections may be at particularly high risk for continuing damage…”
Dr. Bill Vicenzino, University of Queensland, Australia
For the full, original article with more quotes, references and details, please visit my Tennis Elbow Classroom companion site:
Full article on risks of Corticosteroid Injections for Tennis Elbow
Treatment in Marin / San Francisco:
If you’re here in the S.F. Bay Area, please see my page about how I treat Tennis Elbow
Hint: No ice, braces, shots or pills – No “symptom masking” whatsoever – Just focused, hands-on Neuromuscular Therapies to help your muscles and tendons heal and recover naturally without dangerous drugs or invasive measures.
