Current concepts in the role of steroids in the treatment of sprains and strains.

With the development of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the use of corticosteroids in the treatment of sprains and strains has greatly diminished. They are used occasionally in the treatment of tendinitis in various areas of the body, but they are not used for ligamentous sprains and muscle strains. Injection of corticosteroids into ligaments, tendons and joints is often quite controversial and most clinicians have abandoned their use in the treatment of common athletic injuries.