Question
I am a 52 year old female in excellent shape. I was a professional ballerina for many years. Throughout my career I never experienced any hip injuries. I teach classical ballet daily (approximately 4 hours a day). Last year (Feb. ’05)I experienced severe pain in my right hip. My orthopedic surgeon diagnosed it as bursitis. I was given one shot of cortisone during my office visit. The pain subsided for two days and then returned. I had an MRI performed in January ’05. It revealed severe osteoarthritis. Since then my mobolity has continued to decrease drastically and the pain has not subsided. I have tried deep tissue massage,acupuncture,acupressure, “Fire cupping,” magnets, Celebrex, and recently Vicodin. My orthopedic surgeon advises that we put off a hip replacement as long as possible. (I agree.) However, my quality of life has been drastically compromised. My surgeon has suggested a large injection of cortisone which will have to be administered under general anesthetic. What adverse side effects may I experience. Is weight gain to be expected?
Answer
Unfortunately, I can’t comment on your specific situation, but in general injections of cortisone into joints are well tolerated and are associated with very few side effects. Weight gain would be unusual.
