Local Glucocorticoid Injections Research Articles

Supraclavicular nerve entrapment syndrome

Supraclavicular nerve entrapment syndrome, although rare, should be considered among the causes of anterior shoulder girdle pain. This syndrome is usually related to anatomic variants (involving the bone structures, fibrous bands, or muscles and tendons). Computed tomography is the most useful investigation. Medications used to treat neuropathic pain may provide relief. Otherwise, a local glucocorticoid injection or even surgical decompression should be considered.

Immunologic rheumatic disorders

We provide the basics for clinicians who might be called on to consider the diagnosis of diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in their practice. We will emphasize clinical recognition and first-line laboratory testing. Only characteristics of the classic rheumatic inflammatory diseases (ie, RA, seronegative spondyloarthropathy, SLE, antiphospholipid syndrome, Sjögren syndrome, scleroderma, and polymyositis/dermatomyositis) will be covered. In the past decade, treatment for RA and seronegative spondyloarthropathy has substantially improved. Their treatment has been revolutionized by the use of methotrexate and, more recently, TNF inhibitors, T-cell costimulation modulators, and B-cell depletion. The goal of RA treatment today is to induce a complete remission as early as possible in the disease process, with the mantra being "elimination of synovitis equals elimination of joint destruction." The hope is that if the major mediators of Sjögren syndrome, SLE, or scleroderma can be identified and then blocked, as in the example of TNF inhibitors in patients with RA, more specific treatments will become available. Thus RA has become an excellent model of this evolving paradigm. Through the identification of major mediators in its pathogenesis, novel and highly efficacious therapeutic agents have been developed.

Glucocorticoid Injections in Lesions of the Achilles Tendon

A number of non-operative interventions are used to manage Achilles tendinopathy. In particular, local glucocorticoid injections have generated controversy. Although a number of case reports indicate symptomatic relief following glucocorticoid injection, one systematic review found little evidence to support their efficacy. Furthermore, local glucocorticoid injections may be associated with rupture of the Achilles tendon. This systematic review considered all available clinical trials measuring the effect of local glucocorticoid injections on symptom relief in patients with Achilles tendinopathy. The search strategy encompassed five databases: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED and the Cochrane Library. Only studies reporting the outcome of glucocorticoid injection for Achilles tendinopathy were included. A total of 72 articles were identified, five of which met the inclusion criteria. These included one randomized controlled trial, three retrospective studies, and one prospective case series. There is no consensus as to whether local glucocorticoid injections have a therapeutic role in the treatment of Achilles tendinopathy However, they may incur a risk of tendon damage and therefore further research is required before glucocorticoid injections can be recommended for use in Achilles tendinopathy.

How to perform local soft-tissue glucocorticoid injections

Inflammation of periarticular soft-tissue structures such as tendons, tendon sheaths, entheses, bursae, ligaments and fasciae are the hallmark of many inflammatory rheumatic diseases, but inflammation - or rather irritation - of these structures also occurs in the absence of an underlying rheumatic disease. In both these primary and secondary soft-tissue lesions, local glucocorticoid injection often is beneficial, although evidence in literature is limited. This chapter reviews local injection therapy for these lesions and for nerve compression syndromes.

Soft Tissue and Regional Musculoskeletal Disease, Fibromyalgia [634-649

Background: A number of non-operative interventions are used to manage Achilles tendinopathy. In particular, local gluco-corticoid injections have generated controversy. Although a number of case reports indicate symptomatic relief following glucocorticoid injection, one systematic review found little evidence to support their efficacy. Furthermore, local gluco-corticoid injections may be associated with rupture of the Achilles tendon. This systematic review considered all available clinical trials measuring the effect of local glucocorti-coid injections on symptom relief in patients with Achilles tendinopathy. Materials and Methods: The search strategy encompassed five databases: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED and the Cochrane Library. Only studies reporting the outcome of glucocorticoid injection for Achilles tendinopathy were included. Results: A total of 72 articles were identified, five of which met the inclusion criteria. These included one randomized controlled trial, three retrospective studies, and one prospective case series. Conclusion: There is no consensus as to whether local glucocorticoid injections have a therapeutic role in the treatment of Achilles tendinopathy However, they may incur a risk of tendon damage and therefore further research is required before glucocorticoid injections can be recommended for use in Achilles tendinopathy.

Systemic effects of epidural and intra-articular glucocorticoid injections in diabetic and non-diabetic patients

Introduction Whereas the systemic effects of glucocorticoid therapy have been extensively reported, little is known about those of local glucocorticoid injections. The objective of this study was to look for systemic effects of local glucocorticoid injections at two sites in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Methods We studied 29 patients (18 women and 11 men with an age range of 18–86 years). The injection site was the epidural space in 18 patients (4 with and 14 without diabetes) with disk-related sciatica and the shoulder in 11 patients (8 with and 3 without diabetes) with frozen shoulder. Each patient was given three injections of 1.5 ml cortivazol (5.625 mg of cortivazol or about 85 mg prednisone-equivalent per injection and about 250 mg prednisone-equivalent in all), at 3-day intervals. Of the 12 patients with diabetes, 2 were on insulin therapy. At baseline and at the post-treatment visits 1, 7, and 21 days after the third injection, the following tests were done: plasma cortisol and ACTH at 8 am, urinary free cortisol excretion in 24 hours, fasting and postprandial blood glucose, serum cholesterol and triglycerides, and serum sodium and potassium. Blood pressure was measured at each visit. Results Mean systolic blood pressure increased significantly between baseline (123 ± 10 mmHg) and the first two post-treatment visits (day 1, 127 ± 9 mmHg; and day 7, 128 ± 10 mmHg) but returned to baseline values by the third post-treatment visit (day 21). Mean postprandial blood glucose was significantly higher at the day 1 post-treatment visit (10.1 ± 5.4 mmol/l) than at baseline (7.5 ± 2.9 mmol/l). At the day 7 post-treatment visit, blood glucose remained significantly elevated compared to baseline in the 12 diabetic patients (13.9 ± 4.8 mmol/l versus 9.4 ± 3.3 mmol/l at baseline). In both the overall population and the various subgroups, plasma cortisol and ACTH and urinary free cortisol were markedly reduced at the day 1 and day 7 post-treatment visits, compared to baseline. At the day 21 visit, these variables were diminished in the group given epidural injections, whereas plasma cortisol and ACTH were normal in the group treated intra-articularly. No significant variations were noted for fasting blood glucose or for serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, sodium, and potassium. Conclusion The administration of three local cortivazol injections was followed by suppression of the corticotropic axis that persisted beyond 21 days after epidural injection and recovered more rapidly after intra-articular injection. Systolic blood pressure increased transiently. Elevations in postprandial glucose levels lasted longer in diabetic than non-diabetic patients.

Greater Trochanteric Bursitis

Greater trochanteric bursitis is a common regional pain syndrome which frequently simulates major hip diseases and low back pain. Symptoms include pain over the lateral hip area with occasional radiation of pain into the lateral thigh. It is commonly seen between the fourth and sixth decades of life but can be seen in all age groups. Treatment includes local glucocorticoid injections combined with physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication. Patient education is important in the success of treatment. This article reviews the anatomy, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of greater trochanteric bursitis.

TNFα antagonist therapy in ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis: recommendations of the French Society for Rheumatology

Objectives To develop recommendations for TNFα antagonist therapy in patients with spondyloarthropathies. Methods The Delphi consensus procedure was used to select questions, to which evidence-based answers were sought in the literature. Expert opinion was used when needed to estimate the risks and benefits of TNFα antagonists. TNFα antagonists exert potent antiinflammatory effects but fail to provide a definitive cure. Results Recommendations were developed for patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The following criteria for TNFα antagonist therapy were selected: definitive diagnosis of AS or PsA, active disease for at least 4 consecutive weeks documented during two physician visits, overall physician's assessment of disease activity ≥ 4/10 and BASDAI ≥ 4/10 in axial disease or at least three tender and swollen joints in peripheral disease, failure to respond adequately to at least three nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs given in optimal dosages for at least 3 months in axial disease or at least one disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (methotrexate, leflunomide, sulfasalazine) for at least 4 months, with local glucocorticoid injections if appropriate, in peripheral disease. Effectiveness and safety should be evaluated by a rheumatologist. The frequency of monitoring depends on the drug. Lack of effectiveness should be defined as inadequate improvement after 6–12 weeks, with a less than two-point decrease in the BASDAI in axial disease or a less than 30% decrease in the tender and swollen joint counts in peripheral disease. Conclusion These clinical practice recommendations should help rheumatologists in their everyday decisions regarding the use of TNFα antagonist therapy in patients with AS or PsA.

Soft tissue injections

Soft tissue rheumatism includes a wide spectrum of common lesions of the tendons, enthesis, tendon sheaths, bursae, ligaments and fasciae as well as nerve compression syndromes. Studies on the pathogenesis of these lesions do not support a major role for inflammation, thus questioning the rationale for glucocorticoid injections. This chapter reviews current indications for local glucocorticoid injections and available evidence on its efficacy, as well as contraindications and potential risks. Randomised controlled studies of good methodological quality are rare and there is limited scientific evidence to support the superiority of glucocorticoid injections over alternative treatments. The basic principles of the glucocorticoid injection method are outlined, together with a description of the practical procedure for the more common conditions.

A prospective study of the long-term efficacy of local methyl prednisolone acetate injection in the management of mild carpal tunnel syndrome

Local glucocorticoid injections are used to treat carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, this treatment is associated with frequent relapses. An important limitation of studies with higher relapse rates is that no attempt has been made to identify patients with mild or severe disease. We evaluated the efficacy of local glucocorticoid injection in patients with mild CTS. Mild CTS was defined as intermittent symptoms without absence of sensations, muscle atrophy or weakness of the thenar muscles. Forty-eight patients with idiopathic mild CTS were evaluated before and 3 and 12 months after a single local injection of 40 mg methyl prednisolone acetate. Outcome was assessed by overall satisfaction on a 100 mm visual analogue scale, the Boston self-administered questionnaire for symptom severity and functional scores and improvement in the electrophysiological parameters. At 3 months, 93.7% of the patients reported marked improvement in their symptoms, with significant improvement in the mean values of the nerve conduction parameters distal motor latency at the wrist (DML) (P = 0.00001), distal sensory latency at mid-palm (DSL MP) (P = 0.014) and distal sensory latency at the wrist (DSL W) (P = 0.0003), and symptom severity (P = 4.96 x 10(-8)) and the functional scores (P = 3.56 x 10(-5)). Significant improvement was still present for DML (P = 1.39 x 10(-5)) at 12 months. Almost 50% of the patients achieved normalization in the electrophysiological study. At a median follow-up of 16 months, 79% patients continued to have improvement in their symptoms. Eight patients (16.6%) relapsed following the initial response. Local glucocorticoid injection results in long-term improvement in nerve conduction parameters, symptom severity and functional scores in patients with mild CTS.

Evidence-Based Soft Tissue Rheumatology IV

Anserine bursitis is a frequent cause of medial knee pain. Despite its name, the structure at fault causing the symptoms remains unknown. Diabetes mellitus is a known predisposing factor leading to the condition. Overweight and knee osteoarthritis are possible additional risk factors, but their role has yet to be assessed. Anserine bursitis is diagnosed clinically based on medial knee pain and localized tenderness at the inferomedial knee. Current treatment of anserine bursitis includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory dugs, physiotherapy, and local glucocorticoid injections. Of these, only the latter has been shown effective in clinical trials. Knowledge gaps in the epidemiology, pathology, and pathogenesis of anserine bursitis should lead to additional research efforts on this common and perplexing condition.

Effect of local glucocorticoid injection on masseter muscle level of serotonin in patients with chronic myalgia

The aim of this study was to compare the effects on the level of serotonin (5-HT) in the masseter muscle by intramuscular glucocorticoid (GC) administration in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and localized myalgia (LM), as well as to determine associated changes in pain, tenderness, and microcirculation. The study comprised 22 patients with pain and tenderness in the masseter muscle region. Ten patients (all women) had FM, and 12 (1 man and 11 women) had LM involving the temporomandibular system. The patients were examined clinically and by microdialysis at 2 visits 2-3 weeks apart and received local glucocorticoid treatment at the first visit. The ratio (S1/S2) between the initial level of 5-HT (S1) and steady state level (S2) was used as a relative measure of the intramuscular release of 5-HT. This ratio decreased significantly after treatment in the FM group. In the FM group there was also a negative correlation regarding changes between visits of 5-HT and changes of intramuscular temperature. In the LM group there was a negative correlation regarding changes between visits of 5-HT and changes of pressure pain threshold and pressure pain tolerance level. This study indicates that there is a reduction of the ratio between initial 5-HT and steady state level in the painful masseter muscle after intramuscular GC administration to FM patients, a reduction not present in the LM patients. In addition, 5-HT seems to be involved in the modulation of local muscle microcirculation in FM patients and in hyperalgesia in LM patients.

Trochanteric Bursitis (Greater Trochanter Pain Syndrome)

Trochanteric bursitis, a common regional pain syndrome, is characterized by chronic, intermittent aching pain over the lateral aspect of the hip. The incidence of trochanteric bursitis peaks between the fourth and sixth decades of life, but cases have been reported in all age-groups. The diagnosis may be elusive, especially if symptoms are atypical. This condition can be associated with pain and limitation of function. Treatment includes physical therapy measures, analgesics, and local glucocorticoid injection. In this article, we review the pathogenesis, common initial symptoms, diagnostic approach, and treatment options for trochanteric bursitis.