Practices and Pitfalls of Corticosteroid Injection.

Abstract

In brief Corticosteroid injection is a valuable adjunct for treating sports-related inflammation. Unfortunately, these agents are not without toxicities and side effects. It's important, therefore, to choose a corticosteroid appropriate to the patient, the condition, and the size of the affected joint: For example, less soluble agents are generally better for longer-term injuries. Avoiding pitfalls may simply mean heeding the well-known contraindication of injecting into a tendon. Or it may mean monitoring blood glucose in a patient who has diabetes, immobilizing an extremity after injection, or avoiding subcutaneous injection before the target area is reached.