steroid injection site deformation

ghill wrote:

:cry: I too got sterioid injections in upper leg/hip area (one time only) and 9 months later my divets have grown to be huge craters...about 3 inches wide and 3/4 inch deep and look bruised. It is skin on bone, all fat and muscle are gone. I was not even told it was a steroid shot, thought it was for pain and not given any indication that there were side effects as you can bet I would not have done this if I thought there was a 5% chance in deformity. I can no longer wear a swim suit and am not comfortable being seen by my spouse. It is so ugly and more importantly so painful. Now I am in more pain than ever. Why is this not being investigated by the FDA? It appears there are so many of us out there and this is a travesty for sure. My Dr. doesn't think there is anything that can be done nor can plastic surgery help. She also said insurance would consider it cosmetic which is strange as it was no fault of my own and is an actual accidental injury. Is there anything we can do? I can't belive I have to just accept this pain! I know how you feel Ghill :cry:I stumbled onto this site by chance I was suprised I have always felt like I was the only person who felt like this. I recieved injections in hospital as a baby from what I was told the large dents appeard after the injections my parents were not told what these injections were and were just relieved I recovered ok from bronhilitis. I too get pain in one of the divots and its VERY sensitive if I knock or lean on it. the worst part though is that I can never wear a swim suit or even tight fitting clothes I feel so self concious and cant stand the sight of my own body it really does affect your life in many ways. :cry:

I had brought my 10 year old son to a Dermatologist we were referred to about 3 months ago. the doctor prescribed a Kenalog injection for what looked like chicken pox spots. 2 weeks ago he went back to the same Dr. office after seeing them SEVERAL times and the Dr asked what the indentation on his leg was. The Dr suggested it was a result of a childhood injury. When I explained to his office that this appeared after the shot, the told me that yes this can happen. I then asked WHY no one told us about any side effects. They apologized for any miscommunications but that that we would probably have to pay for plastic surgery to correct this. There is no way I am paying to correct an error made by a doctor. again they apologized for any inconveniences. INCONVENIENCES? We are talking about my son's health!!!! From what I have read there are several people out there going through the same thing with as little satisfaction for information as I am. If you google "Kenalog side effects" they say there are basically no cmoon side effects and no where have I found anything about what we are seeing. Right now the dent is about 2 1/2 inches across and has what looks to be "stretch marks" acrossed it. He is very slim and has no "fat" or cellulite on his legs so it appears the muscle is being effected.
This is so very wrong and drug companies and doctors getting kick backs are making $$ off of other peoples misery!!!! We have no idea if this will continue to get worse or if it will ever get better???????

I had a cortisone shot in my lower back just yesterday. There is now this huge indentation, a small fist could fit into and I am in a whole lot of pain. I feel a constant pinching and when I move my right leg (which is the side of the spine that received the injection yesterday), the pinching is unbearable. Going up and down stairs is close to impossible. I see many have experienced this indent over time, I am wondering did anyone else get the indentation almost immediately after the injection? What about intense pain? I have 2 herniated disks and 2 that are significantly deteriorated, so I have prescribed pain meds and muscle relaxers but they are not helping the pain. I have had many of the same shots in the past but have never experienced this intense pain nor this large indentation.

Omg I'm so scared right now and reading everyone's stories it is making me cry ( actually i haven't stopped crying since i received the shot about 10 hours ago) but this triggered it again. My cousin now has dent is her butt from the injection. I had a bad allergic reaction to a medicine the doctor gave me and they told me i would need a cortisone shot to cancel it out. I didn't want to do it because after the medication settled i was fine i just wanted different medication. I was pressured by my doctors and nurses to do it. I was told there was no harmful side affects. But something inside me told me not to do it. I started crying and told them repeatedly i did not want it. So my dad decided to intervene and basically forced me to do it! He told me i have no choice,i MUST take it, stop being a baby , I'm paranoid and don't know what I'm talking about, i need to stop reading the internet and think i know what I'm talking about, the doctors are there to help me. ETC! Now I'm so paranoid i can barely move my leg and when i touch it i feel like its tingling ( i received the shot in my upper butt). I have enough body issues/depression as it is, i don't know what i would do if it seriously started to affect me. My question is, how many "C's" did you receive? I received "3 C's".... i don't know what that means. Is that a large amount? I feel so alone right now, i don't know what to do or think and have no one to turn to : (. To the ladies that this happened to I'm so sorry! No one deserves this! And thank you for sharing your stories.

I also have indentations on the anterior part of both of my thighs due to a steroid injection as a child. I never knew what it was and thought that I was the only person that had it. I have been doing a lot of online research and came across several forums. What I found was that the dent is caused by lipoatrophy following a steroid injection. In many cases, the dent will resolve itself and may take up to 24 months. Here is a link that I found to be very useful and, perhaps, a solution to minor dents: [Try to get a hold of that article mentioned because it is a REALLY useful resource, if you have trouble searching for the article, try Google Scholar]

Unfortunately, for me the indentations did not resolve itself and I am unsure that the solution mentioned in the article will help me because I have had the problem for about 20 years now. I am currently looking into plastic surgery to correct my problem because my disfigurement has really affected my self esteem. I am hoping that a procedure called "fat transplantation" also known as fat grafting, fat transfer, lipostructure, etc. will help me fix my problem. I found a link recently that has given lots of hopes:

I am in the process of looking for a good plastic/recontructive physician that specializes in fat transplant, which I find to be incredibly difficult. For anyone who is also looking for a doctor, make sure you do LOTS of research and background checks on the physician and go to at least 3 consultations before you make a final decision. Also, the results of fat transplant is very technique-dependent and physician-dependent mainly because of the different techniques each doctor uses to extract, handle, and purify the fat. Results may be permanent but it may not. You have to consider your risks before making a final decision. I have been thinking about it for years and am finally able to find information about my condition thanks to the internet. But for those of you who recently had the "dents," I hope that your problem will resolve and that you will not have to seek my alternative.

Good luck to everyone and I hope that the information I provided helps guide you in your research about your condition!

I don't know why the links did not show on my previous post ^. But here are the links I was referring to and hopefully they will show this time:

You should be able to access the study through this link:
To view the whole study and not just the abstract, click on FULL TEXT either HTML or the PDF version.

I got 2 shots of cortisone in my butt and have the grand canyon. Do you think it will clear up with massage or alternative
natural creams? My father is a doctor and doesn't know. He thinks I should go to a
dermatologist. Please help!!!

I was the person that posted on 1-6-10. I tried to post up the links that I found helpful but this website doesn't seem to allow it. The name of the study that I mentioned is called, "Treatment of Local, Persistent Cutaneous Atrophy Following
Corticosteroid Injection with Normal Saline Infiltration." If you are unable to find it through google, then try using google scholar. I found the title study whiling browsing in an online forum and thought that it was interesting. The forum also suggest that you print the study out and let your dermatologist/doctor read it. Hopefully, this method will work for you guys.

I am actually going to the Dr. now in reguards to the same thing and she is really concerned about it she has even brought up buttocks cancer this is no joke and you need to find someone who will take you serious for i have had no injections.

I'm so happy I stumbled upon this site. I have been asking close friends and family members to help me access the large indentation in my buttocks. I am allergic to poison oak and had a full body reaction to it 7 months ago. I went to the urgent care in my town and they gave me a shot of cortisone in my right butt cheek. It has now been a little over 8 months and I now have a mysterious crater in my behind. I remember the shot hurting after for quite a while but didn't think much of it. Thank all of you for bringing the cause to my attention. I strongly think that there should be warnings prior to this shot. It sounds like the real culprit is an overdose mistake from a nurse. I will stay informed from now on for future consequences or lifetime side effects from these horrible drugs.

:x I've just recently discovered my "CRATER." About a year ago, I had a hypertension crisis which required me to be admitted to the hospital. I was given a new type of blood pressure medicine to bring my pressure down fast. I have several allergies to several medications. This was one of them. I had been sedated, so I could rest. My daughter was in the room with me, and she noticed that my face was beginning to swell, something she'd seen on several other occasions, and knew the consequences. She ran to the Nurses station to tell them that I was having a reaction (my throat normally swells with this type of reaction). A Nurse came and gave me a bolus of steroids in my right butt cheek and some benedryl. I was never told that I could possibly lose some muscle in my butt. When I first saw mine, I was horrified. There is white discoloration about 2 inches wide, then underneath it is the "CRATER" which has a deeper indentation in the middle. I can actually put my finger in it down to the first joint. And mine does hurt like the devil. I have chronic back pain anyway, so I probably didn't notice it as soon as some of you did. My doctor told me that there is nothing that I can do, short of going to a plastic surgeon, letting him or her fill in the muscle. I told my doctor that they should warn people about this side effect, and give them a choice as to whether they want the shot or not. Now in my case, I would have taken it anyway. I'd rather have a "CRATER" and still have an airway. But its still not fair!!! :( :x [/list]

the past 2 summers i've gotten a shot in my hip for my bad reaction to poision ivy. just a week or so ago i noticed a slight dent in the area. just last night it turned into a huge crater on my hip right on my pant line. it's very ugly. i didn;t know what it was from until i read all this. now i'm going to call my doctor and ask if this is really true and what i can do about it. if it'd known this was going to happen i would have never gotten the shot and just itched my way through the summer. =[

I too had a "massive !.. split in my buttock after a im steroid for ra to help[ overall pain and inflamation...I t was som time later i noticed after a shower !.. I had no idea of how it got there,, then I remembered the steroid shot!...doctor said no idea ! then another said can happen...I thought it was permanent but it took time over a year or two but it did go and back to normal .. no more trouble with other shots!..I had a similar steroid today so...hope all will be well. The nurse today hadn't heard of this side effect .She was rough and just stabbed in the needle with little care so1 i hope it's not in the wrong spot. !!. healing to all of you ..x

I had the Kenalog shot on my left buttock 6 months ago & had serious side effects from it. The area where the shot was given also has an atrophy the measures 3 in. x 1/2 in. deep. I have had cysts on my ovary the size of an orange, pain in the area for over a month, was tested for ovarian cancer & an infection they thought was an STD. After ruling out cancer & any STD (shocking after 13 years of marriage) it was decided that the shot caved in b/c it was given in the fatty area of my rear & caused an infection. My dermatologist is now going to try saline injections at their cost to try & eliminate the atrpohy. After the last 3 months of medical scares & being a fairly healthy person that rarely needs to visit a DR, I'll take a few saline injections & definitely ask more questions before I rush to have meds injected into my body. I also got a second opinion before I said "Yes" to the saline injections.

Did you ever get any solution? I'm in exactly same situation