Cortisone Injections in Riverdale, GA
For a joint that is hot, swollen and keeping you awake
Call (470) 895-0610 or Book an evaluation
483 Upper Riverdale Road SW, Suite F, Riverdale, GA 30274
Monday to Wednesday 9 to 5, Thursday 9 to 3, closed Friday to Sunday
Coverage for cortisone injections depends on your plan, and we check your benefit before your visit. The evaluation, the imaging and the gel injections are covered by most major medical insurance and Medicare. PRP is typically elective and not covered by most plans, so it is a cash service. Brace coverage depends on your plan, and we check it before anything is ordered.
Near Riverdale, GA?
We treat knees, shoulders, hips and backs without surgery at one clinic on Upper Riverdale Road. Send the form or call and our team will confirm your visit.
483 Upper Riverdale Road SW, Suite F, Riverdale, GA 30274. Most major insurance and Medicare accepted. PRP is typically elective and not covered by most plans, and our team can walk you through payment plans through Pathways.
When cortisone is the right tool
Sometimes a joint is simply too angry to work with. It is swollen, it is warm, it throbs at night, and any plan that starts with exercise is going nowhere until the inflammation comes down.
That is what cortisone is for.
Cortisone is a corticosteroid, a strong anti-inflammatory placed directly into the joint. It does not travel through your whole body the way a tablet does. It goes where the problem is.
Many patients feel a difference within a few days. Some do not, and how long the relief lasts varies a great deal. What that buys you is a joint quiet enough to sleep on, walk on, and begin rehabilitation with. At Regenerative Joint Clinics we usually use it to get a flare under control so the rest of the plan can begin.
What it does not do
Cortisone treats the inflammation. It does not treat the wear underneath it.
That is the part patients are rarely told plainly. The relief is real, and it is temporary. Depending on the joint and the person it might last weeks or it might last months, and then the underlying problem is still there.
There is also a limit. Repeated steroid injections into the same joint are not harmless, so there is a sensible cap on how many a joint should have in a year. We plan when to use yours rather than reaching for it at every visit.
Cortisone does not rebuild cartilage and it does not stop arthritis. Nothing we offer does.
How it fits with everything else
Most patients who get cortisone here do not get only cortisone.
A common sequence looks like this. The joint is flared, so we settle it. If it is full of fluid, we draw the fluid off first, which relieves the pressure and makes the injection more accurate. Once the joint is calm, the longer-term work starts. For a worn knee that usually means hyaluronic acid gel injections, which are aimed at how the joint moves rather than at the flare. It may also mean an unloader knee brace to take weight off the worn side, and physical therapy arranged by referral at a practice near you.
If steroid is not suitable for you, or you have reached the yearly limit for that joint, your provider has other options. Sarapin is a plant-based injectable with no steroid in it, and it is one of the alternatives we use.
What the visit is like
Cortisone is not something we give on a first phone call. Your first appointment is an evaluation, where a provider takes your history, examines the joint and takes images of it. That is what tells us whether the pain is coming from inflammation, from wear, from a tendon, or from something that needs a different specialist entirely.
The injection itself is quick. It is placed with image guidance so the medicine lands inside the joint rather than in the tissue around it. Where the target needs confirming precisely in a knee, that may include an arthrogram, which is an imaging step using contrast and X-ray guidance.
Afterwards
Some patients get a flare of soreness in the first day or two before the relief arrives. That is common and it settles. Ice helps.
Go easy for the rest of the day. Avoid heavy lifting, deep squats and long flights of stairs for a couple of days, then get moving normally again. Staying still is not the goal, because the point of calming the joint was to let you use it.
Tell us if you are diabetic. Steroid can push your blood sugar up for a few days, and it is worth knowing before rather than after.
We record a baseline score at your evaluation and reassess against it, so the plan is judged on measurements rather than memory.
What it costs
Cortisone injections are billed to your plan. Coverage depends on your plan and on the diagnosis, so we check your benefit before the visit. You may still owe a copay, coinsurance or deductible depending on your plan.
We verify your benefits before treatment starts, so you know your share ahead of the visit. If a balance needs spreading out, we have payment plans through Pathways, and we take CareCredit.
This page is general information about treatments we offer. It is not medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any new treatment.
Book an evaluation
Call (470) 895-0610 or book an evaluation. Appointments are booked in advance, and the examination has to happen in person.
Questions about cortisone injections
How quickly does it work, and how long does it last?
Many patients feel a difference within a few days. Some do not, and how long the relief lasts varies a great deal, from a few weeks to a few months. It is relief, not a repair.
How many cortisone shots can I have?
There is a sensible yearly limit per joint, because repeated steroid injections into the same joint carry their own risks. Your provider will tell you where you stand and plan the timing with you.
Is cortisone better or worse than a gel injection?
They do different jobs. Cortisone calms a flare quickly and wears off. Gel injections work more slowly, last longer for many people, and are aimed at how a worn knee moves. Plenty of patients have both at different points in the same year.
Does Medicare cover cortisone injections?
Coverage depends on your plan. We check your benefit before the visit and tell you what your share will be.