Cortisone effects on bones and muscles

August 24, 2008

The excessive and/or prolonged use of steroids of the kind used to

treat inflammation has long been recognized as a cause of bone and

muscle loss. One must not confuse these anti-inflammatory steroids

with anabolic steroids, which are frequently misused by some athletes

to enhance physical performance.

Cortisone can be used orally, as in the treatment of arthritis and

poison ivy, or injected in specific areas of the body such as the

joints; it does eventually spread to the whole skeleton where it may

cause osteoporosis, mainly in the spine. While occasional use of even

high doses of cortisone is unlikely to cause medical problems in

healthy people, chronic use can and does lead to osteoporosis,

hypertension, diabetes, and a number of other ailments.

It is recommended that people who must take regular doses of

cortisone undergo studies such as bone density earlier and more

frequently than their counterparts. There are several drugs in a

pharmacological class called biphosphonates, used in the treatment of

osteoporosis, which can also slow down the bone loss due to the use

of steroids.

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The Effects of Cortisone on the Regeneration of Skeletal Muscle after

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