Corticosteroids fight inflammation and can give you quick relief from osteoarthritis. The drug can raise your chances for infections, ulcers in your digestive tract, bleeding, eye problems such as cataracts and glaucoma, and higher blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Injecting corticosteroids directly into a joint lessens or removes most of these side effects. But there are less common side effects, including:
- Injury to the joint tissues, mainly with repeated injections
- Thinning of cartilage, the smooth covering that protects the bones in the joint
- Weakening of the ligaments of the joint
- More inflammation in the joint caused by a corticosteroid that has crystallized
- Irritation of the nerves, by the needle or the medication itself
- Infecting the joint
- Whitening or thinning of skin at the injection site