Clinical inquiries. Do intra-articular steroid injections affect glycemic control in patients with diabetes?

Yes, but the clinical importance is minimal. A single intra-articular steroid injection into the knee produces acute hyperglycemia for 2 or 3 days in patients with diabetes who otherwise have good glucose control (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, small cohort studies). Intra-articular steroid injections into the shoulder may briefly raise postprandial (but not mean) glucose levels with larger and repeated doses (SOR: C, extrapolated from heterogeneous and mixed cohort studies).