Do corticosteroid joint injections contribute to Osteoporosis?

Posted by suehall @suehall, 21 hours ago

I'm having trouble finding up-to-date info on whether a twice-yearly hip capsule injection will increase risk of osteoporosis. Neither the sportsmed doc doing the injections nor my PCP know the answer.
My web searches aren't finding new data. Does anyone have recent sources of info on this?

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gently | @gently | 20 hours ago

suehall, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11143456/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12328970/
I'm more inclined to rely on clinical trials, still the case studies are concerning.

suehall | @suehall | 8 hours ago

Thank you, I've seen this one as well. I'm assuming "risk of fractures"= thinning of the bones, and am also not reassured, because of the case studies. I wish it was easier to get an answer!

Stephanie | @misseygirl | 8 hours ago

In my research, I found that cortisone injection can decrease bone density.

nycmusic | @nycmusic | 8 hours ago

Steroids can cause several problems on our overall body systems…. They definitely are not for people with kidney issues…. It is SO hard to find ways to deal with pain really safely ! When I need to be somewhere for a long day, I use pain patches, otherwise use Tylenol or very low-dose of stronger meds…applying heat or cold to affected areas can give temporary relief. Osteopaths often have good ideas. Best of luck !

drsuefowler | @drsuefowler | 4 hours ago

In reply to @misseygirl "In my research, I found that cortisone injection can decrease bone density." + (show)

@misseygirl, Yes, and the above study only lasted for 4 years. It could take longer for the damage to show up. I would think that a painful joint would be the worst place to inject something that could lead to bone loss. There would already be bones rubbing causing damage.

daisy17 | @daisy17 | 3 hours ago

I found this website which may be helpful:
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/occasional-cortisone-injections-unlikely-to-have-negative-affect-on-bones/
There were many more articles about this when I googled "do cortisone shots contribute to osteoporosis"

suehall | @suehall | 1 hour ago

In reply to @daisy17 "I found this website which may be helpful: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/occasional-cortisone-injections-unlikely-to-have-negative-affect-on-bones/ There were many more articles about this..." + (show)

@daisy17
Thank you for this; I had seen it earlier but honestly discounted it because it's from 2010.
I know that's ageist, but I would like to see more recent information.

It makes sense that the med stays in the capsule and out of the bloodstream, and if I can get the inflammation down enough to strengthen the joint to where I won't need more.

The issue with many other articles I've found on the subject is that they seem to focus mostly on systemic injections instead of joint ones; I'm trying to find info on the joint injections.

I wish the info was more available to a lay person. Thanks for your input.