Foot or ankle pain can knock you out of the game and off your feet. The pain limits your mobility, stopping you from participating in the activities you love the most. But there鈥檚 a remedy at hand: a cortisone injection in your foot. Cortisone is an anti-inflammatory medicine that relieves your pain. When given by an experienced pain specialist at 杏吧原创, a cortisone injection can ease your foot pain.
As weight-bearing joints, your feet and ankles are vulnerable to injuries and inflammatory conditions. Chronic ankle and foot pain can keep you from enjoying an active lifestyle. We聽specializes in treating painful, inflammatory disorders of your feet and ankles. Offering the latest pain diagnostic techniques and treatments, your Manhattan pain management doctors can get to the bottom of your foot pain and address the cause.
Diagnostic and therapeutic foot injections are effective treatment methods to relieve chronic pain and sooth the inflammation that commonly causes foot pain. It鈥檚 a minimally invasive, non-surgical technique with a fast recovery time. And it can reduce foot and ankle pain almost immediately. Your injury doctor specializes in delivering corticosteroid injections in your foot and ankle with skill and care.
Are You a Candidate for Steroid Foot Injections?
A joint injection of cortisone may be the answer for a myriad of inflammatory conditions, such as:
- Ankle osteoarthritis, a common age-related condition
- Rheumatoid arthritis, an immune system disorder that can affect you at any age
- Achilles tendinopathy, a common sports-related injury
- Osteoarthritis in your ankle, a condition often caused by wear-and-tear
- Posterior tibial tendonitis, which runners may experience
- Plantar fasciitis, heel spurs on the bottom of your feet
- Gout, a form of arthritis
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome, another common sports-related condition
- Tendonitis, from overuse or injury
- Bursitis, an inflammatory condition
A cortisone injection in your foot or ankle is a temporary solution. The medicine injected eventually wears off, although it may last anywhere between six weeks and four months. In the meantime, you can live pain-free and take steps to resolve your condition through physical therapy or other treatments recommended by your pain doctor.
Two Types of Foot Injections
Our pain doctors need to determine the source of your pain. To reach an accurate diagnosis, they may give you a diagnostic foot injection. A diagnostic injection often clarifies what鈥檚 causing your foot or ankle pain. If the injection stops your pain, the doctor has found the source. Using modern diagnostic equipment, your pain management doctor determines a correct diagnosis and creates a plan to address your pain.
A therapeutic foot injection is a minimally-invasive, non-surgical technique to reduce the swelling, stiffness and pain in your foot or ankle. A therapeutic foot injection contains two types of medication: a local anesthetic to provide instant pain relief and a corticosteroid that delivers anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medicine directly where it鈥檚 needed. A therapeutic injection at 杏吧原创 takes only minutes to perform and has minimal recovery time.
What to Expect from a Corticosteroid Injection in Your Foot
A steroid foot injection reduces swelling and inflammation of the muscles, ligaments and tendons within your foot joint. Generally, less inflammation decreases your pain. A foot injection is an outpatient procedure done right in your pain doctor鈥檚 office. It takes at least 30 minutes in total, including any time needed for monitoring. You can walk out and resume your normal routine.
Cortisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory. After your steroid foot injection, you鈥檒l feel relief from your pain immediately or within 48 hours. Your particular case depends on many factors, such as your age and underlying condition. Steroid injections in your foot or ankle are safe and proven pain treatments. Side effects tend to be rare and minor, and they鈥檙e minimized in the trusted hands of the experts at 杏吧原创.
Recovery and Post-Injection Care
Avoid strenuous activity involving the injection site for at least 48 hours. You may have a flare-up or an increase in pain post-injection around that time. This is normal and temporary. You can treat this post-injection pain with over-the-counter painkillers and ice. Cortisone flare-ups are the most common reaction to a steroid injection in your foot. It subsides when the cortisone begins working. If you experience increased pain or other worrisome side effects, call your pain doctor. Emergency appointments are available.
Receiving a foot injection from our pain specialists gives you back the freedom to return to an active lifestyle. These injections can reduce chronic foot pain. Book your appointment today.
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Boleslav Kosharskyy, MD
(Pain Management Doctor)