Steroid injections do not inherently make you put on any weight. That being said, you may gain weight with the long-term usage of oral steroids. This isn’t the same as injections and you will learn some of the differences below.
There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the usage of steroid injections. This is why it’s so important for a patient to learn more about injections before making any treatment decisions. There are plenty of myths regarding injections out there just as there is inaccurate information.
What’s The Difference Between Steroid Injections and Steroid Tablets?
Private steroid Injections are typically used to treat musculoskeletal problems. The use of injections is strategic to treat localized areas of the body. These injections are usually used to reduce inflammation in different joints, tendons, and more. While the injection does end up getting absorbed and passed through the body, its primary activation occurs at the specific injection site. Here at Complete, we utilize ultrasound technology to find the optimal injection side and to figure out where the drug is deposited.
This is different from oral steroid use. Oral steroids like prednisolone can be used for a lot of different conditions. They can be used to treat skin conditions, auto-immune diseases, and even cancer. With tablets, the steroids are taken orally. They are typically used for longer periods than injections too. Because of this, oral steroids pass tough the entire body and as a result, it has a much larger impact on the body and its processes. The ultimate impact of this could result in the person gaining weight.
What Conditions Are Injections Used For?
The first thing you need to do is consider the various types of steroid injections and some of the reasons for getting them. An injection is typically used to treat a wide variety of different medical conditions.
Here at Complete, we mainly use injections to treat different things like joint problems, tendon injuries, and more. However, they can also be used to treat a lot of other different medical conditions including skin issues and even hay fever.
There is another type of steroid injection that you may be familiar with which is anabolic steroids. These are steroids that are commonly associated with performance-enhancing drugs. They are the steroids used by bodybuilders and athletes. They are very different from the injections we use at Complete and they also have different side effects attached.
Do Steroid Injections Make You Gain Weight?
Here at Complete, we use cortisone injections to effectively reduce pain. The injection is typically placed in a tissue or joint to reduce inflammation and pain. This is a much more targeted approach and we use lower dosages to accomplish the pain reduction. Because it’s such a small dose and because it’s injected directly into the structure that is causing the pain, it doesn’t have to pass through the body at all. This means that no bodily process is altered and it doesn’t have the same negative side effects that it would with a less localized approach. It also has fewer side effects because it’s only given in a single dose. It’s very unlikely to have weight gain side effects even with multiple injections much less one that is a one-off.
The body will typically fully excrete the steroid anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks after the procedure. The steroids will usually activate between 8 to 14 days after injection. When you compare this to a person taking an oral steroid for something like arthritis, there is much less of a worry of weight gain. There was a study conducted over 2 years that found patients typically experienced a 4 to 8 percent weight gain with oral steroids. Thus, it’s a side effect you would likely want to be aware of when taking steroids orally. The long-term usage of oral steroids can negatively affect your metabolism and how your body deposits the fat in it.
There are bodybuilders and athletes out there that leverage anabolic steroids to improve their performance. Anabolic steroids are essentially synthetic variations of testosterone which is the natural male sex hormone produced in the body. Anabolic steroids are different from steroid injections and shouldn’t be mixed up. They can lead to significant weight gain. That’s the purpose of anabolic steroids. These steroids cause this weight gain through increased production of muscle tissue and not through an increase of fat deposits.
What Kinds Of Steroids Do We Use For These Injections?
As mentioned, we use different kinds of steroids for injections. However, the most common are:
– Triamcinolone acetonide
There is no specific research that shows one is better than the other. They are each very good and potent. They are also long-lasting which is what you want for pain relief. Here at Complete, they are effectively used to minimize pain in various conditions that include:
– Frozen shoulder
– Shoulder bursitis
– Osteoarthritis
Conclusion:
These steroid injections are effectively used to treat pain and inflammation in a localized area. They are not linked to weight gain in individuals. Here at Complete, we stick to using these injections to treat different pain complaints and inflammatory conditions.
If you are looking for more information regarding ultrasound-guided steroid injections, you can contact us directly. Our qualified injection therapists will be able to provide you with answers to any questions you have. You can reach us at info@complete-physio.co.uk.
