Cortisone indent in back

I have muscle tightness in my left shoulder and nerve discomfort in my left arm for 3 years now. I am a 26 year old female. The conditions have gotten a lot better but my new neurologist recommended cortisone injections into the muscles in the shoulder. I asked him to only do two injections but he ended up doing five. This way on May 16. Three days ago I discovered dents right where he administered the injections. They are very noticeable as they lie right on the scapula bone. He never mentioned fat atrophy as a possible side effect. I would never have agreed to the injections had he mentioned any substantial side effects. He only said that there is pain in the muscle for a day after the injection and that blood sugar elevates for a day. What should I do?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Muscle atrophy and indentation are frequent side effects of the steroid shots and when you get these steroid shots then it is frequent to find indentation skin. Mostly it goes away on its own gradually if the indentation is small, However if it is big then collagen filling and laser resurfacing can be tried. Please discuss these treatment options with a dermatologist or plastic surgeon.


It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.