Cortisone or corticosteroid injections can sometimes provide short-term relief for inflammatory symptoms in many joints of the body. Cortisone is a naturally occurring substance within the body. Injectable steroid preparations can sometimes relieve the pain of an arthritic hip.
Cortisone injections can be easily given to large joints such as the knee and shoulder and smaller joints such as the ankle and elbow because parts of the joint are right beneath the skin.
All of these joints have a surface which can be easily felt and penetrated with a needle. The hip joint however is very deep within the body. In order to reach the hip joint, a needle must go through several layers of muscle and the joint capsule. The hip joint is largely covered by the round dome of the socket or acetabulum.
Only a small portion of the joint can be penetrated with a needle. Since it is deep, this cannot be done easily. Hip injections are therefore most often done by a radiologist. Use of a continuous x-ray or fluoroscopy is helpful in making sure that the needle and the medication enter the joint. Once the position of the needle has been confirmed, the medication can be safely injected.
Usually, this is a small dose of a steroid preparation which stays within the joint. Steroids can provide good short-term relief, which may last anywhere from a few days to several months. If the injection relieves the pain even only in the short term, it is a good sign that the arthritic joint is the cause of the symptoms. Steroid injections are not done very often in the hip and too many injections can ultimately cause long-term damage.