Anyone had this done?? Did it help and how painful is the procedure? Doc seems to think the knees, unlike my hip, can be saved by this and probably wont need replacing.
Do you mean depo-medrol (aka cortisone), SK? What kind of knee problem, if you don’t mind? Sending well wishes to you.
Depomedrol in a high motion joint? I wouldn’t. Can you use a different steroid?
I do know people who have had good results with steroid in their knees, but more, I think, that have had better results with HA. Insurance may require you to do the steroid first, though!
Do you use Surpass (er…volaren gel)? Could be super worthwhile to try if not!
I had a very sore knee with the biggest baker’s cyst the MRI fellow ever saw.
10+ years ago Dr injected the knee joint from the front.
I didn’t even feel the needle or product go in.
Knee was never sore again, monster cyst is still in the back.
The product was some kind of corticosteroid and lidocaine, best I remember.
Good luck they find what will work best for you.
Simkie, how is depo-medrol different than the other injectable cortisones? Why wouldn’t it be used in a high motion joint? (Asking, as I’ve been dealing with chondromalacia patella & having it injected. Not meaning to thread jack, btw.) Thanks.
I use Voltaren gel twice a day. It works pretty well. I also have used Pennsaid gel (voltaren & dmso) but am not convinced it is safe.
Don’t know a direct answer to that, but any product starting with “depo-” means long lasting.
I don’t know why they would or not use a long lasting product when injecting a joint.
I can think of reasons either way to do or not to do that.
Will be interesting to hear the answer to that.
beaujolias - yup that is the one…and I smashed the soft part of my knee on the hard part of a curling rock when i was 16 and it went basically untreated because I was ‘playing boys sports’ that the quack du jour objected to - was supposed to stay inside and do things like cooking and sewing like a good little girl. Then add all the years of self-inflicted abuse from riding and driving. Doc is amazed I am still mobile and can move pretty fast with the walker
Simkie - i also want to know why the same shot used on horse stifles should not be used on human ones. We have to pay for the stuff here and depo is 14.00 and change per joint, HA is over 150.00. At any rate, doc thinks he can save me at least one surgery this way.
Bluey - I am hoping for a result like i got with a shoulder injection of the same product - lasted 15+ years
Depo is generally a no-no in high motion horse joints, too. Can really beat up the cartilage and cause depo deposits.
The docs I’ve talked to who are really in the know–usually the sports med specialists who inject joints all day long and get to use the fun stuff like PRP and stem cell–are against depo in high motion joints. Others are more blase about it. Triamcinolone and betamethasone don’t carry the same risks, I don’t think.
Here’s a quick google: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full…25967115581163
“Collectively, the basic science literature on methylprednisolone reveals a large dose-dependent deleterious effect on cartilage. At high doses (>0.01 mg/mL or 7 mg), methylprednisolone appears to have catabolic effects on protein levels, chondrocyte viability, and gross cartilage morphology. At low doses (<0.01 mg/mL), positive effects may be observed, including reduction of lesions and increased chondrocyte density. Long-term methylprednisolone in vivo overwhelmingly supports deleterious effects on gross markers of cartilage health. The state of the joint (healthy, osteoarthritic, or surgically injured) and source of tissue may play a role in the tissue’s response to methylprednisolone.”
AWESOME for hocks you want to fuse. Kinda sucky for joints you want to keep moving 
If you do use it, confirm with the doc that you’re staying under that dose threshhold. When I have had joint injections, we discuss the steroid and have a conversation if the doc is recommending depo–have always gone with something else after that.
“Depo” doesn’t mean what some think it does.
Depo-something means it is in a preparation to be absorbed slowly, over days/months.
It doesn’t mean it is any one product or strength or any other than “slow acting”.
Be sure to check with your dr what you are getting as medication and strength and route of administration, don’t confuse the “Depo-” prefix with what the medication is:
https://www.ismp.org/newsletters/acutecare/showarticle.aspx?id=1133
Using too much of a straight corticosteroid is what can damage a joint, not that it may or not be Depo-, that means in a long acting preparation.
Also, HA is a very different product than corticosteroids.
Each one of those are indicated for some joint problems, not for others.
Bluey, depo medrol is the brand name for methylprednisolone. It IS a product, not a generality.
I know that, we had a horse decades ago getting that product every start of the summer for his allergies.
In pharmacology, “depo-” means long acting, no matter what product or strength you put that in front of.
Read the link, it explains it better than I can.
I don’t think anyone here is confusing depo medrol with depo provera or depo testosterone?? Pretty darn clear we’re all talking about depo medrol?
Well, depo medrol is a steroid that has longer lasting results than some of the other steroid options. But Simkie is right in that it’s also been shown to have a degenerative effect on joint cartilage as compared to some of the other steroid options. So, in horses, it’s not preferred for high motion joints. However, sometimes it is still used because it’s a stronger, longer lasting steroid. Depends on what the problem is as well as where it is.
I’ve only had one corticosteroid injection myself, in the hip, and my doctor didn’t tell me which one it was.
