Foot Injections
Foot pain affects more than just your ability to move — it limits your quality of life, disrupts your daily routine, and can sideline you from the activities you love. When conservative treatments like rest, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications haven't delivered lasting relief, a targeted foot injection may be the next step toward real recovery.
At Sports Pain Management NYC (SPIN), our board-certified pain management specialists offer a range of foot injection treatments for conditions including plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, Morton's neuroma, tendonitis, and arthritis-related foot pain. We use precise, image-guided injection techniques to deliver medication exactly where it's needed — minimizing side effects and maximizing results.
Whether you're searching for a cortisone shot for plantar fasciitis in NYC, want to understand how long recovery takes, or are wondering how painful the procedure will be — this page covers everything you need to know before booking.
Ready to get rid of your foot pain?
Same-day appointments available for foot injection evaluation and treatment.
Effects from a Cortisone Injection for Foot Pain
The injection ingredients include saline, steroids for inflammation and a local anesthetic for immediate pain relief. So the injection eases your pain right away. But after the anesthetic dissipates, within about three hours, the pain often returns.
The steroid anti-inflammatory drugs often don't start working for a couple of days after your injection. At that point, you'll experience what pain relief from a steroid injection in the foot feels like. And relief lasts for several months.
You may notice some minor side effects from the injection. Most often, these are temporary. Side effects include:
- An increase in your blood sugar levels, especially if you're diabetic
- A flush of warmth in your face or chest
- A spike in the inflammation and pain in your foot for up to two days, before the corticosteroid medicine starts working
Recovering from a Steroid Injection in the Foot
While you should feel pain relief immediately after the injection due to the anesthetic, you have to be watchful for a few days before the steroid medication starts working. The normal precautions of most medical treatments apply for a cortisone injection in the foot:
- Keep the injection site clean
- Look out for infection symptoms: increased pain and swelling or a fever
- Avoid stressing your problem foot; don't go from your doctor's office to a long hike across town
- Stay off your foot, if possible
- Apply a cold pack, but not heat, to the insertion point if it's sore or swollen
- Don't soak your foot in water, which includes in your tub or in a Jacuzzi
You may feel a little more pain in the days that follow your injection, but the pain should disappear by the third day, as the steroids start working. If the pain is drastically worse or you come down with a fever, contact your doctor right away.
Risks of a Cortisone Injection in the Foot
Risks are low when your shot is administered by a trained physician. But the risks include:
- Infection at the insertion point or in your foot
- Skin lightening at the insertion point
- Osteoporosis
- Weakened tendons
- Nerve damage, which is very rare
- Cartilage damage
To prevent cartilage damage, your NYC pain and sports doctor limits the number of injections you can have to about three or four per year, spaced at least six weeks apart. Because of this limit, a cortisone injection in the foot is not a long-term strategy for chronic pain. It's a technique for easing pain temporarily, while your body heals.
More Pain Relief from Steroid Injections
The pain-relieving properties and anti-inflammatory effects of steroid injection in the foot can also help you deal with pain in other parts of your body. If it's not your foot but your ankle that hurts, your doctor can give you an ankle injection to fight the pain of an ankle injury. In most sports, your feet and ankles take a beating; spare yourself the pain of an injury with a cortisone injection.
Ready to find foot pain relief?
Dr. Melepura's Midtown Manhattan clinic offers same-day appointments for foot injection evaluation and treatment.
Types of Foot Injections We Offer
Not every foot condition responds best to the same injection. At SPIN, our specialists match the injection type to your specific diagnosis and treatment history to ensure you get the most effective approach.
Cortisone (Corticosteroid) Injections
The most commonly performed foot injection, cortisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent that reduces swelling, inflammation, and pain at the injection site. It is most effective for plantar fasciitis, bursitis, joint inflammation, and Morton's neuroma. Effects typically begin within 3–7 days and can last from several weeks to several months depending on the condition and the individual. Cortisone injections are often the first injection treatment recommended because of their speed of action and strong track record for foot conditions. They are best suited for patients who have already tried conservative measures — rest, orthotics, physical therapy, NSAIDs — without sufficient relief.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections
PRP injections use a concentrated preparation of your own platelets — drawn from a simple blood draw in our office — to stimulate tissue healing at the site of injury. Unlike cortisone, which suppresses inflammation temporarily, PRP promotes actual biological repair of damaged tissue. PRP is particularly effective for chronic plantar fasciitis (where cortisone has provided diminishing returns), Achilles tendon injuries, and chronic tendinopathies that have not healed with standard treatment. The healing response unfolds over 4–8 weeks, making it a longer-term solution compared to cortisone.
Hyaluronic Acid (Viscosupplementation) Injections
Primarily used for arthritic joints in the foot and ankle, hyaluronic acid injections restore the natural lubrication and cushioning of damaged joint surfaces. This is an effective alternative for patients who cannot tolerate corticosteroids or for whom cortisone injections are no longer providing adequate relief. Multiple injections over a series of weeks are sometimes recommended.
Local Anesthetic Nerve Blocks
For diagnostic purposes or acute pain management, local anesthetic injections (lidocaine or bupivacaine) can precisely numb a specific nerve or joint. Nerve blocks are commonly used to confirm a diagnosis before committing to a longer-term treatment, and are often combined with corticosteroids for both immediate and sustained relief in a single injection.
Foot Injection Doctor in NYC
Finding the right foot injection doctor in NYC starts with an accurate diagnosis. Foot pain has many potential causes — plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, nerve entrapments, joint arthritis, tendon injuries — and the most effective injection treatment depends entirely on identifying which structure is inflamed or damaged and why.
At SPIN, our foot injection doctors are board-certified in pain medicine with subspecialty experience in musculoskeletal and podiatric conditions. We regularly treat patients with:
Plantar fasciitis
the most common cause of heel pain, producing sharp discomfort on the bottom of the foot, particularly in the morning
Heel spurs
bony growths on the underside of the heel bone, often occurring alongside plantar fasciitis
Morton's neuroma
nerve thickening between the third and fourth toes causing burning, tingling, or numbness in the ball of the foot
Posterior tibial tendonitis
inflammation of the tendon along the inside of the ankle and foot, often linked to flat feet
Arthritic foot joints
degenerative or inflammatory joint damage in the midfoot, hindfoot, or toe joints
Achilles tendon pain
chronic tendinopathy that does not respond to stretching, orthotics, or rest alone
Our Approach to Foot Injection Treatment in NYC
Before the Injection
Before any injection, we conduct a thorough clinical evaluation. We review your symptoms, examine the foot, and — where appropriate — use diagnostic ultrasound in-office to visualize the tissue before we inject. This imaging-guided approach means the medication goes exactly where it needs to go, not an approximate anatomical landmark.
After the Injection
Post-injection, we provide written aftercare instructions and a follow-up protocol. If the first injection provides partial relief, we discuss whether a repeat injection, a different injection type, or a combination approach (injection plus physical therapy) is the right next step.
Real Stories from our Patients
Dr. Febin Melepura, MD
Double Board-Certified Pain Specialist
Meet Dr. Febin Melepura — Your Foot Injection Specialist in NYC
Dr. Febin Melepura, MD is a double board-certified interventional pain management specialist and the founder of the Sports Pain Institute of New York. He completed his residency and fellowship training at New York Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center, one of the nation's leading academic medical centers.
He holds dual board certifications from the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine, and has treated more than 7,500 patients and performed over 5,250 procedures throughout his career. He has been named a Top Pain Management Doctor in New York and one of America's Top Doctors™ by Castle Connolly.
Dr. Melepura's approach to foot pain is rooted in precision: identify the exact source, treat it with a targeted injection, and get you back to your daily life as quickly as possible.
Why Patients Choose SPIN for Foot Injections in NYC
Image-guided injections using ultrasound for precise targeting
Board-certified pain management specialists
Same-week and next-day appointments available for new patients
Accepts most major insurance plans — call to verify your coverage
Midtown Manhattan location, convenient for patients across all five boroughs and New Jersey
Ready to Book an Appointment?
Same-day appointments available. Call (212) 621-7746 or book online.
What Our Foot Pain Patients Say
"Able to make an appointment to see Dr. Melepura on short notice… attentive to my concerns… Jazmin was also very kind and helpful."
"Excellent hospitality, listener and explainer… highly recommend the doctor and the place."
"Dr. Melepura is the best! He worked with me to find the optimal solution to my shoulder pain while I was preparing for a fight!"
"Lovely, bright and modern… doctor and staff were kind… felt my concerns were heard."
"Helpful and friendly staff who gladly follows up with you if and when needed. Dr Melepura was very helpful and professional as well as provided me with excellent information and feedback."
"Dr Febin is fantastic! Highly recommend him and his practice the Spin clinic. The doctor is a good listener, kind, attentive and gave me great advice. "
"Dr.Melepura was very efficient and interpersonal, felt like he was understanding the problems I was having and explained the processes to take to rehabilitate. I would recommend."
"I felt listened to and truly understood by Dr. Melepura. Started PT the very next day. They were very friendly and I didn't feel rushed at all. Already recommended them to my friends who have or continue to play through pain."
Frequently Asked Questions About Foot Injections
Most patients feel a brief, sharp pinch lasting 1–3 seconds — well-tolerated and very quick. Any post-procedure soreness at the injection site typically resolves within 24–48 hours.