Cortisone shot in elbow???

It hurts! The needle is thick, and they are inserting into an already painful area. Did I say it hurts? I have done it, didn't help, and ended up having surgery (which helped). And yeah, it hurts.

I had it done and it wasn't too bad. My doctor first injected the area with lidocaine. That normally burns because it is acidic but right before he injected it he drew some sodium bicarbonate solution into the syringe. That neutralized the acid in the lidcaine so it did not burn. Then when he did the cortisone shot I felt nothing other than a little pressure. I had been dreading the shot because I heard how painful it was but I didn't find it too bad. I haven't had any trouble with my elbow since.

My husband has had it done more than once, he said it hurts like crazy, but his elbow hurts all the time anyway. He need an elbow replacement but the doctors don't want to do it until he is 50, he is just 44. I don't think his arm is going to hold out that long.

My husband gets cortizone shots in both shoulders every three-four months and has for three or four years now. He says it doesn't hurt any more than any other shot, and that the relief is very quick.

I had it over a year ago. At the time I was in so much pain that the thought of getting some relief subdued my fears of the pain that I'd feel with the shot. I knew nothing about the cortisone shot only that I associated it with how painful it was.
Obviously it hurt, but did not find it to be that bad. Honestly, I guess the location and your pain tolerance make it different in everyone, but just don't look, and breathe.

Btw-I had calcified tendonitis in my right elbow (could not cut food, brush/dry my hair, etc...)it felt a thousand time better by the end of the day and completely better within a few days. It was the best thing I did.

Please update us when you've had the shot, and I hope you feel better soon.

I get them in my right knee. The first time he told me I needed them I started crying because everyone kept telling me that it hurts so much and some people told me it didn't help and actually made the pain worse. I was so upset. I wanted him to do surgery that's how afraid I was that the pain would get worse from the shot. He didn't feel I needed surgery so I went with the shot and found out it didn't hurt at all and helped so much I wish I had done it sooner.

I hope it works for you and I'm glad it didn't hurt as much as you thought