With Elbows, Cortisone Shots May Hurt More Than Help

With Elbows, Cortisone Shots May Hurt More Than Help Enlarge this image toggle caption iStockphoto.com iStockphoto.com Go to the doctor with an aching elbow, and the prescription may well be a cortisone shot. There's mounting evidence that cortisone shots, long the first response for the painful tendon problem known as tennis elbow, increases the risk of continued problems or relapse one year out. The latest study, published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 83 percent of people who got a cortisone shot for tennis elbow had recovered or improved one year later. So Benson says he'll continue to recommend cortisone shots to his patients, along with pain relievers like Advil, and physical therapy.