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Hip pain
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Injections & Orthobiologics

Fast, Targeted Relief for a Painful Hip Joint

How long does a cortisone shot in the hip last?

A cortisone hip injection places a corticosteroid and numbing medicine directly into the hip joint, guided by ultrasound or X-ray. Relief usually begins in 2 to 7 days and lasts anywhere from a few weeks to several months. It eases arthritis and labral pain but does not repair the joint, so it is most useful alongside therapy.

The hip joint sits deep beneath muscle, which makes accuracy everything. Dr. Stride uses ultrasound or X-ray guidance to put the medicine exactly inside the joint. For many people with hip arthritis or an irritated labrum, a well-placed cortisone shot buys weeks to months of easier walking, better sleep and a window to get stronger.

Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Stride, MD, board-certified orthopedic surgeon
Last reviewed October 2026
Dr. Stride explaining a hip with a pelvis model to a patient and her husband

At a glance

Also called
steroid shot in the hip, hip joint injection, corticosteroid hip injection, ultrasound-guided hip injection
Typical recovery
Months 1 to 6
Ask about this treatment →(713) 555-0168

Is Cortisone Hip Injection right for you?

Usually a good fit if

  • Hip arthritis flares that limit walking, sleep or work
  • Labral or impingement pain that is not settling with therapy alone
  • People bridging to a planned hip replacement who need relief now
  • Patients who also want a diagnostic answer about where the pain starts
  • Adults who cannot take anti-inflammatory pills safely

Another option may be better if

  • Within about 3 months before a planned hip replacement, since a recent steroid injection may raise infection risk
  • An active infection in the joint, the skin over the hip or elsewhere in the body
  • Diabetes that is poorly controlled, until blood sugar is under better control

What happens, step by step

  1. A quick check

    Dr. Stride confirms the diagnosis, reviews your medicines and blood sugar if you have diabetes, and explains what to expect. Blood thinners usually do not need to be stopped, but tell our team if you take one.

  2. Image-guided placement

    You lie on your back while the skin over the front of the hip is cleaned and numbed. A thin needle is guided into the joint using ultrasound or low-dose X-ray, so the medicine lands inside the joint capsule instead of in the muscle.

  3. The injection

    A corticosteroid is injected together with a local anesthetic. The whole procedure usually takes 10 to 15 minutes from start to finish.

  4. A short recheck

    Many people notice the hip feels easier within minutes from the numbing medicine. How much relief you feel right away also tells Dr. Stride how much of your pain is coming from the joint.

Typical recovery timeline

Same day

Take it easy, ice for 15 to 20 minutes at a time if the site is sore, and arrange a ride if your leg feels numb.

Days 1 to 2

Some people have a brief cortisone flare with extra soreness. People with diabetes should watch blood sugar, which can run higher for a few days.

Days 2 to 7

The steroid starts working and relief builds. Normal daily activity is fine.

Weeks 1 to 2

Resume or start physical therapy and gradually return to your sport. This is the window to build strength.

Months 1 to 6

Relief varies widely. Injections are usually limited to about 3 or 4 per year, spaced at least 3 months apart.

Timelines are typical ranges. Your plan depends on your hip, your health and what was done in surgery.

“I think of a cortisone shot as a window. If it calms the hip enough for you to get stronger, it has done its job. When the relief keeps getting shorter, that tells me the joint needs a different plan, and I will say so plainly.”

Dr. Stride, MD

Frequently asked questions

How many cortisone shots can you get in your hip?

Most surgeons limit hip steroid injections to about 3 or 4 per year, spaced at least 3 months apart. Frequent injections may speed cartilage wear over time. If shots are needed more often, it is time to consider other options.

Can you get a cortisone shot before hip replacement?

Yes, but timing matters. Many surgeons avoid hip joint steroid injections in the 3 months before a replacement because of a possible increase in infection risk. Dr. Stride plans injections around any surgery date.

Why did a hip cortisone shot not work?

An injection may not help if the pain is coming from the back, a tendon or a nerve instead of the joint, or if arthritis is very advanced. Accuracy also matters, which is why Dr. Stride uses image guidance. A shot that does not help still provides useful information.

Is a cortisone shot better than PRP for the hip?

Cortisone usually works faster and is covered by most insurance, while PRP is slower to act and usually paid out of pocket. Research on PRP for hip arthritis is promising but still mixed. Dr. Stride explains which fits your diagnosis and goals.

Related treatments

Diagnosis

Diagnostic Hip Injection

A diagnostic hip injection places a numbing medicine directly into the hip joint under ultrasound or X-ray guidance.

Read more →Injections

PRP Hip Injection

A PRP hip injection uses platelets concentrated from your own blood and injected into the hip joint or a damaged tendon.

Read more →Non-surgical

Hip Physical Therapy

Physical therapy helps many types of hip pain, including arthritis, gluteal tendinopathy, hip impingement and many labral tears.

Read more →Replacement

Total Hip Replacement

Total hip replacement replaces the worn ball and socket of an arthritic hip with a metal, ceramic and medical-grade plastic implant.

Read more →Compare

Cortisone vs PRP

Cortisone and PRP hip injections work differently.

See the comparison →

Hip pain this can help with

Hip pain · symptom

Is It Your Hip or Your Back?

Hip joint pain is usually felt in the groin or front of the thigh and flares with putting on socks or getting out of a car.

Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptom

Hip Clicking, Popping and Snapping

Hip clicking or snapping, called snapping hip syndrome or coxa saltans, usually comes from a tendon sliding over bone.

Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptom

Hip Stiffness and Loss of Motion

A stiff hip is most often caused by hip osteoarthritis, which reduces rotation and makes socks, shoes and getting out of a car harder.

Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptom

Hip Pain at Night

Hip pain at night is most often caused by greater trochanteric pain syndrome, where lying on the side compresses the gluteal tendons, or by hip osteoarthritis, which can ache at rest as it advances.

Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptom

Hip Pain When Walking

Hip pain when walking is most often caused by hip osteoarthritis, which brings a groin ache and a limp, or by gluteal tendinopathy, which causes outer hip pain.

Causes & treatment →
From the Hip Health Library

Questions patients ask about this

All guides →
Dr. Stride reviewing hip X-rays with a patient in the Memorial City office
Treatment & Recovery

Cortisone Shot in the Hip: What to Expect

A hip cortisone shot combines a numbing medicine with a steroid.

6 min read Read
SourcesReferences used for this page3

Medically reviewed by Dr. Stride, MD against current guidance from these sources. Last reviewed October 2026. How we write and review content

  1. Cortisone Shot (Steroid Injection) (opens in a new tab) AAOS OrthoInfo
  2. Hip joint injection (opens in a new tab) MedlinePlus
  3. Steroid injections - tendon, bursa, joint (opens in a new tab) MedlinePlus
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