Anyone had a cortisone shot in the heel????

ohthatbambi

I am suffering from plantar faciitis and physical therapy is not doing what I need it to do. I have given up running b/c of the pain in my foot and the next step is a shot. The orthopedist said himself that it would hurt like hades. I have also heard from other that is quite unpleasant. My physical therapist said that it also is not a guaranteed fix. I hate pain and if the shot in the heel is not going to help then I wonder if I should even bother.

So anyone out there ever had a cort. shot in the heel? How bad did it hurt? And more importantly, did it help solve the problem.

ohthatbambi

I am suffering from plantar faciitis and physical therapy is not doing what I need it to do. I have given up running b/c of the pain in my foot and the next step is a shot. The orthopedist said himself that it would hurt like hades. I have also heard from other that is quite unpleasant. My physical therapist said that it also is not a guaranteed fix. I hate pain and if the shot in the heel is not going to help then I wonder if I should even bother.

So anyone out there ever had a cort. shot in the heel? How bad did it hurt? And more importantly, did it help solve the problem.

bnlmembercb

Never had one in the heel, but I have had to in the knee for bursitis and one in the top of my foot for a pinched nerve.

I had a lot of people say they are very painful, but I didn't think so. If you end up getting one, just look away and take deep breaths, you'll be fine.

ohthatbambi

Never had one in the heel, but I have had to in the knee for bursitis and one in the top of my foot for a pinched nerve.

I had a lot of people say they are very painful, but I didn't think so. If you end up getting one, just look away and take deep breaths, you'll be fine.

Top of the foot sounds pretty painful. Yikes. I am so sick of this pain that I am about to the point of just getting it and hoping for the best. Thanks.

rosenbss

I actually work in ortho and my mother is coming in for a shot next week for the exact same thing she has tried pt and the boot neither have worked. it is painful and nothing remember is gaurenteed make sure u do it when u can have 2 days off to baby yourself and yes it will hurt but from my understanding its more a little laterlike an hour or so after. but if it works great it will give u some relief just remember you can only have 2-3 of those shots in your life time there not good for your joints!!

ladyhawk

I have plantar fasciitis from running and the boot didn't work for me either. I have been pain free for more than 8 months now because I do the wall exercise and in the beginning I had 2 bottles of water which I freezed and every evening when I get home I would roll my feet on the bottles after doing the exercises. I am fine now even though I still do speed walking and the occassional jog.

kasuki

I had the shot in the heel of my foot and the side of my heel also. It didn't hurt. They numbed the injection site with a numbing freeze spray first then slowly injucted the needle which also contained a numbing agent along with the crotizone. Thats why they injected slowly to allow the numbing agent to take effect. I found the shots did not help me much but what really helped were the orthopedic shoe inserts they made for me. After using them in my shoes for a week I could tell the pain was decreasing and after a few more weeks I realized WOW no more foot pain. I wore them for about 8 months just to make sure the pain wouldn't come back and it never did. I still keep the inserts in a drawer for safe keeping incase I should ever need them again. I know how bad that pain is and I had it in both my feet at the same time and I really did have to crawl around some mornings because the pain was just to much to try to walk.

emtchip

I am a paramedic and while I have never had this shot, I know plenty that have and it is painful. It will help your foot pain, but not cure the problem and you will have to repeat the shot every 4 months or so.

I went to a chirpractor and had specialty arch supports made and did some physical therapy. This was about a year ago and I am still pain free. The key is proper support and proper stretching.

A podiatrist should also have some good recommendations. I was told by my chirporator and GP that the shot would be a last resort.

Stephomie

I've never had an injection, but I'm a physical therapist so I have some insight on the subject. Have you had x-rays to rule out heel spurs? If you have spurs, an injection won't do the trick. If you haven't done so already, I would have your PT look for tender points in your calf, specifically the gastroc, soleus and flexor digitorum. Many people suffer from myofascial pain syndrome, and tender points in these muscles can refer pain to the heel. I've had good results treating tender points in order to alleviate referred pain. Good luck!

Stephanie

butterjoy

I HAVE SPURS ON BOTH HEELS AND HAD THE SHOTS IN BOTH HEELS ON THE SAME DAY! THE PODIETRIST (sp?) SPRAYED MY HEELS WITH A FREEZING SPRAY WHICH NUMBS THE HEEL AND THEN INJECTED THE SHOTS ONE IN EACH FOOT. YES, IT HURT A LITTLE BUT, IT SURE HELPED! I HAD THE TOTAL OF 10 SHOTS IN A YEAR. MY FEET ARE DOING MUCH BETTER NOW.

JOY

shortstack

I have had cort shots in my heel because I had heel spurs they didn't hurt but they didn't help very long. I had them so bad that the spur was cutting the tendon. I tried PT ultra sound, nothing help. so I had to have surgery. It is a long recovery, I could not put any weight on my food for 10 weeks because the tendon could detach from my heel. It took a good year before I could wear inclosed shoes but I am pain free now.

ohthatbambi

Yes, I did have an xray and no bone spurs.

I am just tired of hurting and I would like to one day run again.

Thanks for all the info.

Nich0le

Ok, my experience is the numbing wasn't so great and the shot site actually felt a bit bruised the next day and my foot felt great for about 3 days and then back to the usual plantar fasciatis problems. There is a lot of information about the concerns related to the possible deterioation of the heel muscles from cortizone, but my doctor said you would have to have more than 100 before there may be a problem and if you have reached the 100 mark it's time to talk surgery anyway.

My foot doc said to keep stretching and exercise, in other words keep the area warm and flexible. His recommendation, which worked great was 2 advil every 12 hours for about 10 days,
freeze water in a coke bottle or similar shaped bottle and ice several times a day, rolling the ice back and forth fromthe heel to the toes.
Stretch stretch stretch.
After about 10 days you can eliminate or reduce the advil to one every 12 hours or per day, I take one at night to help keep inflammation down.
Ask your doctor if he carries an orthodic that will help you, custom ones are spendy and ones in shoe stores are not great, mine has a line that he carries in his office that was less expensive than the store bought ones but much firmer and I LOVE them, can't wear shoes without them.
I also have a brace, you can buy it at wal mart, it isn't comfortable, I wear it for about an hour or two before bed to keep my foot flexed and the fasciatis stretched.
I wear a small ace bandage (also in walmart with the foot stuff in the pharmacy) that is designed to keep the fasciatis up and not let it fall flat at night, causing it to tear in the morning when you get up and have that horrible pain in your heel ugh.

I also have heel spurs thanks to the fasciatis and I was surprised when my doctor told me to keep walking and even running, because weight is a huge factor in the spreading of the tissues of the foot and exercise helps keep it warm and stretched. I very rarely have any heel pain at this point , I do all of the above and run daily so it must work. When it does start to hurt I ice it more and take an extra advil or aleve for a few days.

The only thing that worked completely for me prior to this treatment was found by accident, I had a sinus infection and was prescribed a steroid and the anti inflammatory in the steroid kicked the butt of my heel, but you probably don't want to take steroids very often either!

mjfer123

I HATE needles, just the thought of this give me the heebies.
Good luck, I hear that they do hurt quite a bit.
That coupled with your foot that is a sensitive area.
Yeesh, good luck again.

msce2

I had the shot in my wrist for carpal tunnel 3 times. It wasn't too painful, didn't feel awesome or anything, but I would say it hurt for the next 2 days or so. Not excrutiating, but mildly sore. Obviously not in the same area, but I figured I'd throw it out there anyhow.

ohthatbambi

So basically the shot is just a quick fix...it isn't going to solve my problem?

Nich0le

So basically the shot is just a quick fix...it isn't going to solve my problem?

It is a very very temporary fix for a problem that needs a lot of love and attention!

damselfly25

I've also been having heel problems. They mainly started when I tried to start running again...which I haven't done since high school and I am now mumblemumble years old. Anyway, they were really bothering me so I went to a running specialty shop and got the right shoe in the right size which fixed my shin splints I was getting but not the heels. So I got the foot wraps but and found that actually taping my feet everytime I exercised was the best but not completely. Then I went on vacation and took a break from running even though I walked everywhere. I made sure I only wore my Chaco sandals, which for those who don't know have MAJOR arch support. Finally, I had some relief. But when I came home I tried running again and the pain was right back.

So I do all the exercises and icing but cannot get it to go away...I want to run and I can feel my weight starting to flux again and am really sad and discouraged. Is there anything else I can do that doesn't involve shots or excessive medical tests?

brenmcclure

Hi. Just saw your message. I haven't had the shot myself, but my son (11) did. He stepped on a toothpick and it was stuck in his foot. He got the shot and let out a scream that could be heard across the globe. Personally, I'm scared of them. I have had doctor's suggest that I get that shot and I refused because, like you, I've heard they are painful. Whatever you decide, I hope nothing but the best outcome for you. -prayers.

bnlmembercb

The good news, 3 days after my knee injection I was back to wrestling and able to smash my knee into walls and not feel a thing (not that I recommend or did it more than once)

watch48win

I am suffering from plantar faciitis and physical therapy is not doing what I need it to do. I have given up running b/c of the pain in my foot and the next step is a shot. The orthopedist said himself that it would hurt like hades. I have also heard from other that is quite unpleasant. My physical therapist said that it also is not a guaranteed fix. I hate pain and if the shot in the heel is not going to help then I wonder if I should even bother.

So anyone out there ever had a cort. shot in the heel? How bad did it hurt? And more importantly, did it help solve the problem.

I have had a shot in the heel, yes it hurt...long needle injected from the side of the heel, but a few needle "moments" were much better than the pain of just trying to walk. The shot worked for me, I haven't had a problem since.

Hope it works for you

sobit1970

I just had a shot in my heel this afternoon. It hurt a bit but no where near as bad as i expected. They do put freezing in beforehand.

MtnMic101

I just had a cortisone shot in both ankles when they inserted the needle they shot it with a freezing liquid not very painful until he relocated and gave me another injection with the needle still in I felt some pressure for a few hours about six but the following day I am pain free well worth it compared to the everyday pain I suffered all day long for more than a few years I also have fitted orthodic insoles that offer support

Azdak

So basically the shot is just a quick fix...it isn't going to solve my problem?

Most likely not.

I struggled with PF for several years back in the 1980s. I remember spending time in a sports med clinic for an internship and watching someone get a heel shot. I said to myself --"no way would I ever do that". Fast forward 5 years and over a 24 month period I probably had 6 or 7. Not being able to run will make you do things you never thought you would. They were uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

They brought a few weeks relief, but never a real fix. In the end in was time and stretching and a small change to the sole of my shoe that solved the problem. The problem with PF is that the causes/damage are structural and biomechanical. So if you don't address those, you aren't really treating the problem.

GiddyupTim

This link shows how to do a stretch that really benefited about 90 percent of about 70 patients with chronic PF (That is, people who had tried many other things for at least one year with little or no improvement).
http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/ortho/foot-ankle/_documents/plantarfasciitisteachingsheet.pdf
I do the same stretch by sitting down in a yoga "hero" pose, except that I put my toes underneath me, so that the bottom of my toes are on the floor and the sole of my foot points at the wall behind.
Do it at least twice a day.
It takes some time, but that and some Superfeet insoles in your shoes will do the trick.
I have had plantar fasciitis off and on for about 20 years. I keep getting it because I played soccer -- hard ground, cleats, lots of twisting and torquing.

james6998

I am suffering from plantar faciitis and physical therapy is not doing what I need it to do. I have given up running b/c of the pain in my foot and the next step is a shot. The orthopedist said himself that it would hurt like hades. I have also heard from other that is quite unpleasant. My physical therapist said that it also is not a guaranteed fix. I hate pain and if the shot in the heel is not going to help then I wonder if I should even bother.

So anyone out there ever had a cort. shot in the heel? How bad did it hurt? And more importantly, did it help solve the problem.

4 in the left 3 in the right both heels, operated on the left food ended up solving nothing, but i did get a blood clot in my lung as a parting gift. 10 years now with plantar fasciitis just learning to live with the pain and the fact i can't touch my heels down on the ground. Bonus is, you can never hear me walking, learn to move like a ninja or something. (on my toes) There are a group of people like myself that can not get healed from this injury.

CyberEd312

So basically the shot is just a quick fix...it isn't going to solve my problem?

Most likely not.

I struggled with PF for several years back in the 1980s. I remember spending time in a sports med clinic for an internship and watching someone get a heel shot. I said to myself --"no way would I ever do that". Fast forward 5 years and over a 24 month period I probably had 6 or 7. Not being able to run will make you do things you never thought you would. They were uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

They brought a few weeks relief, but never a real fix. In the end in was time and stretching and a small change to the sole of my shoe that solved the problem. The problem with PF is that the causes/damage are structural and biomechanical. So if you don't address those, you aren't really treating the problem.

This I delivered beer for budweiser through the 90's and had PF (severely) and went in for cortisone shots in both heels for several years. The shot was alittle uncomfortable but wasn't terrible.. but it isn't fixing the problem it more or less masks the problem. I spent that time learning stretching movements to do daily (several times daily) and finding the right shoe support and overtime it continued to get better. I have severely bad knee's and did cortisone shot in both knee's for 8 years and then switch to Synvisc and now Euflexxa. They drain my knee's before the injections so I am no stranger to needles... My Ortho gives the numbing shots (did this for my heel shots as well as knee's) and it does help, well except for the knee's, the needle they drain my knee's with doesn't feel good at all.. lol I would suggest finding a good foot doctor that you can get cast for some orthotics for your shoes, support is key along with daily stretching with PF.... Best of Luck

SailorKnightWing

My mom had one once. It doesn't fix the problem permanently, but it can ease the pain enough to build up the strength in your foot with exercises to relieve the pain long-term.

gregpack

I've had them several times. They are unpleasant, but not unbearable. It brought relief for a month or two.

Crazy, one of the things that helped me the most was a shiatsu foot massager that my wife gave me one Christmas. I put it under my desk and used it any time I was on the computer. It really helped over the course of a few months. I think that helped more than the shots or orthotics. I now roll them out with a lacrosse ball a couple times a week-painful, but it seems to help keep the trouble from coming back.

taradawn69

Orthotics cured mine, took about 3 months and that was more than 5 years ago:)

AleciaG724

Yep - I've had several heel shots for the same reason... I am extremely needle-phobic and was terrified but actually it didn't hurt at all! It was a course of 3 shots over a six week period, until the last shot when the needle broke off in my heel, not once but twice, And it did help for a few months, but then nothing - the pain came back as bad as ever. The only thing that helps is to stay off your feet until it stops hurting. Icing helps a little but it's temporary. I had custom orthotics made & they helped for a while too, If you have a job that keeps you on your feet, good luck... Surgery is also an option.:flowerforyou: