How Long Does It Take for a Steroid Shot to Work?

Injections with steroids such as cortisone usually provide quick results, easing pain, swelling, and inflammation shortly after being administered. However, in some instances, it can take days or weeks for a person to feel relief.

The effectiveness of steroid shots also depends on what they are being used for. These injections often treat orthopedic conditions such as arthritis and tendonitis.

This article explains how steroid shots work and discusses how long it takes for a steroid shot to work.

How Steroid Shots Work

Steroid shots work by decreasing inflammation. In people with conditions like tendonitis, bursitis, and arthritis, pain is caused by inflammation. Once the inflammation goes away, the pain will get better.

A steroid shot starts to work immediately. Inflammation usually improves within a few days. Pain relief can take a few days to a few weeks, depending on how long it takes for the inflammation to settle. Most people who have had a shot say the pain gets better quickly.

The amount of inflammation, the type of injection, and other factors can all affect how long it will take for you to feel relief after getting a steroid shot.

If your inflammation is severe, or if it's been around a long time (chronic), the shot may take longer to work. In some cases, you may need more than one dose to feel better.

Treatments like cortisone shots are effective for many common inflammatory conditions, but they don't help every person.

How Is a Steroid Given?

Different types of steroids vary in terms of strength, how long they last, and delivery method.

A steroid can be taken by mouth as an oral medication. It can also be injected into a muscle or joint. For bone and joint conditions, steroid shots are given in the spots where there's inflammation.

A steroid like cortisone is often mixed with numbing medication (local anesthetic). The anesthetic can help relieve pain. It also makes getting the shot itself a little less uncomfortable.

Your healthcare provider will clean the skin over the area where they will be giving you the shot. Then, they will inject the medication where it is needed—often in a joint or tendon sheath. Your provider will check that the needle is in the right place by making sure it meets the right amount of tension.

After the injection, the needle is taken out and a Band-Aid is placed over the site. You might have a little bit of bleeding. If you're taking a blood thinning medication, you may have a little more bleeding at the injection site.

Why Some Steroid Shots Work Quickly

Steroids typically take a few days or longer to begin to take effect. Even so, many people report almost immediate relief after an injection.

Pain relief is faster for some people for a couple of reasons. The most common reason is that the provider mixed an anesthetic medication (such as lidocaine or marcaine) with a steroid.

Local anesthetics work right away. In fact, many providers will use this effect as a test to make sure the medication went into the right spot. If the area was numbed by the injection, your provider can be confident the steroid was delivered to the spot where it's needed.

The other reason why some people feel better faster is that sometimes, a provider also removes fluid from a swollen joint. For example, many patients with a swollen knee have the fluid drained from the joint just before they get a steroid shot. This can bring a lot of pain relief.

Side Effects of Steroid Shots

Some patients have reactions to steroid injections. When cortisone is used, they may experience a cortisone flare. A cortisone flare is a condition in which the injected cortisone forms crystals. This can cause brief pain that is worse than before the shot. The discomfort usually lasts a day or two and can be treated by icing and resting the injection area.

Other side effects of cortisone shots are possible but uncommon. These could include:

• Skin color changes
• Increased blood sugar (glucose) levels
• Allergic reactions

Summary

Steroid shots reduce inflammation, a common cause of joint and tendon pain. For many people, relief comes right after the shot is given. However, the length of time for pain relief varies and can take days or weeks.

If your provider mixes a local numbing agent with the steroid, you may feel relief immediately. Relief may also be quicker if your provider drains fluid from your joints. However, your pain could temporarily get worse if you have a reaction called a steroid flare. In this case, rest and ice on the spot where you had the injection can help.

Most people find steroid injections helpful for treating orthopedic conditions, but they don't work for everyone. If you're not finding the injections helpful, let your provider know.