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What Causes Lower Back Pain Relieved Only A Little With A Cortisone Shot And How Can Complete Relieve Be Achieved?

Posted on Thu, 6 Dec 2018

Question: My partner , XXXXXXX has pain in his pelvis/buttocks when he sits for any amount of time . He doesn"t seem to think anyone has addressed the cause of the pain . He has arthritus of the neck and spine , one disc that has degenerated in the lower back and one of the spinal bones has rotated out of position. Monday he got a shot of cortizone for his lower back . Works a little , better than what it was .
After a bout of of stomach pain and sickness (during which he lost over 30 pounds) he had his gallbladder out in May/June 2017 .

Answered by Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:

Cortisone shot can take up to 2-3 weeks to show results.

Detailed Answer:

Hello!

The pain he is experiencing is due to spinal arthritis and slipped disk. The pain can be very concerning.

However, I would like to mention that cortisone shots can take 2 to 3 weeks to resolve inflammation and pain.

Meanwhile, he can take Advil 3 times daily to reduce pain further. Physical therapy and low impact exercises like water aerobics and swimming can also help.

If the pain is still persistent, then more potent pain medication like opioid analgesics might be needed. But it always better to tackle the pain without using opioids.

Hope this answers your question. Please let me know if you have any further concerns/clarifications.

Regards,

Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal
General & Family Physician

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee