cortisone shots for neuropathy
 

I am a 43 Male diabetic with neuropathy for 6 years all over my body and I was thinking of getting the cortisone shots. Does anybody know if they help with just the feet and legs with the possibilty of relief in the hands and arms or just the feet and arms or not at all. I am told it helps with fibro so should it work for neuropathy. Please let me know, thank you.

Hi c
 

Cortizone is an anti inflamatory drug. Mostly it is used for joints, to ease the pain. I don't see where it would help with PN, since that is "all over"
Being on Cortizone in high doses is also difficult, as it has a a lot of side effects. I would be interested to hear what others say, as I have not heard about using this drug for PN. I have PN and my Doctor has never said anything about that med. Why would a shot work better that the pills? would be something else I would inquire about. You may want to post to MrsD, who has extensive knowledge about PN and treatments used. There may be more that you can do besides that. Maybe research a bit. Hope you find some help for the PN that works for you. Personally, if I can get away without ever using that drug I would. ginnie:grouphug:

"Cortisone" treatments raise blood sugar. For a diabetic this is not good.

Steroids only work on autoimmune issues and inflammation.
They do not work for DNA damage, or mitochondrial dysfunctions.

Steroids suppress the immune system, and also make you more prone to infections by fungi, bacteria, and viruses.

So research this further, and think about it longer.

dear mrs.d, what about what they call ankle blocks for neuropathy, i think that is cortisone shots and something else

If you don't show arthritis in the ankle in x-rays
or inflammation steroids are not likely
to work. Tendinitis may respond however.

The word "block " typically means a nerve
Block using lidocaine . Ask the doctor
to explain more fully and have him give
you reasons, etc.

Hi MrsD
 

Thanks and I can't believe I spelled that drug wrong twice! I knew you would know about that Cortisone medication. I took a lot of it for my auto immune issue during a trial study. Hated that med. for sure! ginnie:hug:

Interesting

What about a Baxter's Nerve Entrapment in the heels? Would it help with that?

I have had two injections of a steroid into my left foot over the years.

1)...this first one was into the ball of my foot which was swollen, and Xrays showed a broken sesamoid bone (which is still there BTW)... the steroid worked for the tendon inflammation caused by the broken sesamoid bone moving around. I then rather guarded my foot, and it did not recur...the terrible pain that is.

2) I had a spider bite on that ankle many years later, and after it resolved from the medications a doctor on vacation gave me (antibiotics, Atarax, prednisone), the ankle still hurt. So I went to a different podiatrist and he injected the ankle with a steroid...this DID NOT work and has created pain and some swelling that comes and goes in that ankle where he did the shot.
I am not sure if this is connected, but it seems so. I won't be eager for any future shots should they be offered. My Xrays in July showed lots of spurring on the ankle bones. Right now the ankle is not swelling so much and is mostly quiet. So I am enjoying the lull.

I also find Salonpas patches OTC original formula, do afford some anti-inflammatory relief and I use them pretty frequently on my instep and ankle, when I feel pain in that foot at night. I had the left big toenail removed after a minor accident with that foot in July (stubbed it), and for some reason removing the toenail quieted the swelling I was having in that ankle for YEARS. I wonder if there was a minor fungal infection under that nail? The ankle has been in good shape since the nail was removed. This new development is puzzling for sure!

That sounds pretty painful still after all these years.

I had a cortisone injection in the side of my right heel 10 days ago. I have burning around the bottom outside of both heels. I also have numb, not totally toes. During the hot summer days my calves get ice cold feeling but to touch them they are plenty warm. I have been told small fiber neuropathy but told my heels were not neuropathy and sent to a Podiatrist. He diagnosed me with about 6 different causes. I did stretching/icing 3x a day for 6 weeks with no help. I finally went to a Sports Medicine Dr. who through ultra sound did the injection. He said it as the Baxter nerve entrapment. I'm not sure if that's Neuropathy or not. Seems strange I'd have that in both feet. Anyway, I have not received much improvement and I should've by now. I will talk with him next week to see what if anything he can do next.

BTW the back of my heels burn more and more as the day goes on. Walking doesn't seem to make it worse unless I'm barefoot. Driving is almost impossible as my heel rests on the floor. By evening, even with my feet up on a foot stool they burn terribly. Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles heel, heel spurs etc. have all been ruled out now.

You could explore Lidoderm patches, or one of the compounded mixtures for pain and inflammation that the RSD and some PN people use. These compounded transdermal creams, can had lidocaine added to them, with other ingredients.

You can also try the magnesium lotion. Morton's, and rub it in.
This improves the circulation and also magnesium blocks the NMDA pain receptors to some extent. You can buy Morton's Epsom lotion inexpensively at WalMart. I find it very helpful for my foot when it swells, and/or hurts. It is really quite remarkable and still fairly new.

I have 5% Lidocaine gel which I use for Vulvodynia but I also have 5% Lidoderm patches. I've tried them around the back of the heels but it didn't seem to take the burning away. I will get some of the Morton's Epsom Lotion and see if that helps. Thanks for the idea.

If you still have the Lidoderms....I have 2 other suggestions for them.

1) 1/2 patch on that instep. Put it crosswise as close to the ankle bend you can. You might have to tape it on. If you can move it towards the inner ankle, do that too as much as it can. There is a nerve that goes around that median bone....and you can intercept it there.

2) or you can try 1/2 patch behind the knee on that same leg.
The will catch the nerve higher up. I sometimes have better foot
relief from behind the knee for some reason. Put the 1/2 patch
just below the bend so it is high on the calf. Some of your heel pain may be from tendons...and this will catch the nerve that innervates them going down.

Sometimes the placement is strange, but I study anatomy books, to find the major nerve paths, and try everything. I even use magnets....but that is another story. You can search magnets here and find my old posts. ;)

The mag lotion is not at alot of stores yet. But it is at WalMart and on Amazon now.
http://www.mortonsalt.com/for-your-h...-epsom-lotion/

I say a little prayer of thanks for it every single day. It has been a lifesaver for me, in many ways.

Instep.. put it on the bottom of foot crosswise, so it's just under the bend in the ankle? Sorry, trying to understand.
I understand the behind the knee instructions. I will try the instep first, then the behind the knee if that doesn't work.

Wouldn't you think the ultra sound would decide if it was tendons or not?

For some reason Lidocaine does not work on the bottom of the feet.

Put it on the top of the foot across the instep just past the ankle bend. Move it toward the inside of the ankle if you can towards the bone. Alot depends on how much bone sticks out. For me not much. These patches have notoriously poor adhesive..it is basically water soluble. So you may have to tape them on.
I use clear micropore tape (has breathing holes in it).

Lidoderm patches take a couple or 3 days to penetrate to the nerve, and interrupt the signals. Lidocaine is a sodium channel blocker so the impulses stop where it is placed.
So don't expect immediate relief.... it will build.

I used them once for 14 days in a row to stop MP pain in my thigh. Once they worked for a while, the entire pain sequence remitted and now I've had a long remission. (after years of intense pain and stabbing attacks like 100 bee stings! )
Therefore, for me, I have something to remember, and basically I never expected a remission. I only wanted some relief. They were very new back then, and no one knew how to use them or apply them.

Oh darn it. I put it on wrong. I'll have to wait till tomorrow morning to put it on right now. I didn't realize it took time for some relief. Thanks for that tip.:hug:

Just be prepared to waste a few... expensive I know... but it took me about 5 times to find out how to fix that nerve in my thigh.

At least on the foot you only really need 1/2 of a patch.

I really like Lidoderms.... they offer good relief, but they do require careful correct placement. They have to be over a major nerve pathway. (not at the end points where you feel pain)...So this confuses people, and they give up too soon.

The instep is the TOP of the foot... There is one nerve that goes around the lateral ankle bone, to the side of the foot. And one that goes under the inside (medial ) bone.

http://www.northcoastfootcare.com/pa...e-Anatomy.html
This link shows anterior and posterior views. The yellow areas are the nerves. White is tendons.
If you zoom your screen... control key + scroll wheel on your mouse, you can see the yellow nerves in the anterior view.
The big nerve going over the instep is the target, for most pain, with Lidoderms. Your achillies tendon is the secondary target, so
just moving the patch to the side a bit may hit that one too.

mrsD, what a great link to see the nerves and tendons. That anterior view shows me exactly where that nerve is. Thank you so much.
I had tried it on the back of my heels where I was having the burning pain and only tried it a few times but I was way off. I can see that now.
If after using these patches for 3 or 4 days and start getting relief, I hope, do I continue to use them forever or will I be able to eventually stop them?
I will let you know if this works. I am excited and with great hope. I am so allergic to most oral medications that this would be so wonderful if it works. Thank you again.:)

See how it goes. Do the patches for at least a week.
I needed two weeks for my thigh. But that was a bigger area and
the nerve was deeper.

You'll just have to trial and error a bit. Let's see if you get relief in 3 days, and then we go from there. I believe that sometimes the nerve may get stuck in the "on" position, and once it is blocked for a while, it stops. If the pain generator is still going, the pathology that started it all, then there may not be a remission like I had. At least using the Lidoderms may show some answers.

There are nerves that are deep within the tendons. Those may be difficult to reach. But at least in the foot, the nerves are closer to the surface and may respond well to the lidocaine in the Lidoderm patch.

I'll be rooting for ya!

Half off-topic, but I had to ask, as it's about cortisone:

The swelling of my ankles is now mostly gone; it's only visible when standing for 8 hours+. But, back when it was very prominent and painful, the swelling was always uneven, a bit in my right ankle, but quite massive in the left one. Say 4 times as bad.

There is no mechanical reason this. I had it scanned a few years ago (this was even before the PN), and they couldn't find anything wrong.

The only "reason" I can think of (in hindsight) was a mega-dose cortisone injection 25 years ago. I had elongated tendons and water retention in my ankle joint after a basketball accident, and it just did not want to heal. After 12 months, a famous sports doc gave me an injection deep into into the ankle joint (and yes, that hurt), said it would burn like hell the next day (he was right!) and then the pain would go away (it did, almost miraculously).

He did say I would probably have to pay for it later in life, but at age 25/26 that's a long way off. Except that it's now "later in life".

Could there be a connection between the high dose injection and the assymetrical swelling? Or is it just one-of-those-things?

Possibly.... it is my left ankle that swells...and that is where I had a shot too. But then I have this angioedema problem, and tend to swell easily. (more easily than other people).

I did not have any ankle issues at all on vacation. But then there are no stairs there! Lots of stairs HERE. But since getting that big toe nail removed, I have to admit my ankle swelling is much much less even with the stairs. Now that ankle does get "tight" later in the day. But it is not so large, and I can fit into shoes that
I couldn't wear before. There must have been some pain generator in that toe, and it stimulated the release of bradykinin which is the agent that causes swelling in angioedema? That is all I can think of.

There are rules about steroid shots. No more than 2 per 12months is/was the basic warning. It is known that they may cause bone to regress or waste away or become necrotic. Some people may get necrosis of bone even from ORAL steroids! This happens in the hip.

I have noticed that old injuries, do hurt more or return, as we age. For me if I feel like a virus coming on (feverish)...which is not often....but if it starts, and the aching comes, then it is usually at old problematic sites. (old injuries from falls, or mishaps etc.)
Even my old C-section scar can hurt sometimes! :rolleyes:
The old old scar on my instep from the tumor removal, will ache sometimes. The nerves there were damaged, and that foot was
numb most of my life (youth), but they finally grew back, and when they did they create discomfort and pain sometimes. I take it as a sign of possible illness approaching. But this type of pain, also can come from drastic weather changes, when the barometric pressure falls suddenly.(storms approaching).