This hip arthritis shot could be ‘bad to the bone’

If you suffer from the pain and stiffness of hip arthritis, a steroid shot may seem like a miracle.

After all, anything that can give you complete relief from that pain (even if just for a short time) is a godsend.

But that reprieve may come at a very big price. A new study has found that these injections can cause a domino effect that results in even more serious hip problems. And that can happen very quickly.

This study, along with what we already know about how steroids can damage bones, should be a wake-up call for doctors and patients who turn to these drugs without a second thought.

Especially since there are some proven safe and effective treatments for hip pain that won’t prove to be a bone-breaker!

Weighing the alternatives
What Dr. Connie Chang, a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, kept seeing in patients who had received steroid shots for hip arthritis was disturbing.

In looking over their X-rays, she kept finding “rapidly” developing changes, namely bone “death and collapse” occurring several months after such injections.

To examine this further, she arranged a study of close to 250 patients with hip arthritis, some of whom received a steroid shot in their hip and some who didn’t.

And as soon as three months later, she was finding “new” occurrences of bone death, eventually affecting up to a quarter of the volunteers who had been given a shot.

Along with that, around 17 percent of those who got a steroid shot suffered from bone collapse in the “head” of their femur bone.

In discussing her findings, Dr. Chang said that joint and bone changes in those with arthritis usually develop “slowly over time.” But instead of immediately connecting the dots here, she soft-peddled her findings by saying that her discovery is serious enough “to warrant an investigation.”

Wait, isn’t that exactly what you just did, Dr. Chang?

But the fact that steroids can cause damage to your bones certainly isn’t a big secret at this point.

The Mayo Clinic, for example, warns that steroids are the most “common cause” of “avascular necrosis” (which is basically the death of bone tissue caused by a lack of blood supply, eventually leading to collapse of the bone) that isn’t caused by bone trauma.

And as I warned you earlier this year, a study out of the University of Michigan Medical School and the VA Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, found that you don’t have to be taking steroids for a long time to suffer some serious side effects.

Even a low dose, such as 20 mg a day or less, can trigger sepsis… triple your risk of a blood clot… and double the chance of breaking a bone.

While steroids can be lifesavers, say, during a bad asthma attack, the truth is that, given the risks they come along with, they’re given out way too haphazardly.

Of course, if you’re the one in pain, it may seem well worth it! But before you resort to a shot in the hip, why not first give these alternative treatments a try?

• Acupuncture: This ancient treatment uses very thin needles (inserted just a teeny bit) and has been proven to reduce inflammation and decrease pain in numerous conditions, including arthritis.
• Physical therapy: Having a professional guide you through stretches and exercises can help keep your hips moving smoother. And joining a yoga or Tai Chi class (many yoga studios have special classes for arthritis patients) is also an excellent idea.
• Natural anti-inflammatories: Taking a daily supplement of omega-3 fatty acids that contain DHA and EPA has been called a “weapon against arthritis.” Those fatty acids are well known to reduce swelling, pain, and inflammation.

And don’t be shy about using a cane! A little help can go a long way with hip arthritis, and while rest is important, daily walking is just as vital.

“Steroid injections for arthritic hips: More trouble than they’re worth?” Robert Preidt, November 29, 2017, U.S. News & World Report, usnews.com