Steroid injections are commonly used to manage the pain and inflammation of hip osteoarthritis, but two studies reported by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (March 2015) raise concerns about the shots. One study found that within six months of receiving ultrasound-guided intra-articular hip injections with the corticosteroid drugs triamcinolone acetate and lidocaine, all but one of 33 patients showed clear decreases in joint space width (a sign of advancing arthritis) visible on standard radiographs. Another study showed that intra-articular corticosteroids have a profound dose-dependent impact on cells found in bone marrow, suggesting the injections increase the progression of joint disease. While some hip degeneration due to arthritis is natural, steroid injections caused the severe bone loss and partial dislocation of the joint to progress more quickly, the researchers stated.
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