Cortisone is a synthetic form of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. This synthetic form is often used in medical treatments, mainly to relieve inflammation. Keep reading to find out why and when cortisone injections are used in podiatry.
When conventional treatments don’t work
Cortisone is used when conventional treatment (rest, ice-packs, plantar orthoses…) have no effect on the patient. It relieves inflammatory pain for patients.
In the event of pain in the feet
Cortisone injections in the feet can be useful to relieve pain associated with conditions like:
- Plantar fasciitis;
- Heel spurs;
- Metatarsalgia;
- Foot tendinitis;
- Foot arthrosis;
- and many other pathologies, which may prove to be painful for patients.
The advantages of cortisone injections in your podiatric treatment
In the short term, cortisone injections have several advantages for the patient. Indeed, in addition to reducing the patient’s pain, they eliminate swelling and inflammation in the injured area, reduce recovery time, they penetrate the tissues easily, and are a natural, non-toxic and hypoallergenic substance.
Nevertheless, its use in the long term may cause side effects, that is why it is very important to get proper treatment from your podiatrist.
It is also important to remember that cortisone injections do not work for everyone. As soon as you feel inflammatory pain in any part of the foot, do not delay in consulting your podiatrist. The necessary measures may therefore be taken to relieve your pain.
A typical procedure for cortisone injections in the foot
Following the evaluation of the patient’s condition and the diagnosis, the podiatrist may opt for cortisone injections. They then have an ultrasound examination in order to analyse and assess the problem areas. Then, the cortisone injection procedure can start, thanks to an ultrasound-guided injection in order to see the position of the needle at all times. After the treatment, the podiatrist follows up with the patient during the entire recovery period.
In a nutshell…
Consulting a podiatrist in order to relieve any durable pain in your feet may be the right solution. Only a podiatrist will be able to assess the necessary treatment for your podiatric ailments.
