Responsible doctors absolutely would warn against this I agree. Steroids deteriorate bone mass. Unfortunately it caught on as a "safe" alternative to opiates. It was insisted that I must try injections before we could consider opiates since I failed Gabapentin/ Lyrica with flying colors and I'm horrendously allergic to Aspirin and therefore NSAIDs. I would kill to be able to take ibuprofen. I received the shots in my knees even though my osteoarthritis was mild they were willing to do it monthly if necessary. Treatment resistant autoimmune inflammatory arthritis is my main issue though and my knees rarely hurt. They injected a steroid so strong that when it's put in flesh there is a risk of necrosis. I almost completely lost the ability to walk for six months and my knees were now the most painful part of every day for half a year. I slowly regained strength and the pain faded as the medication was fully absorbed and removed. I said never again. Eventually I did jump through enough hoops to get the opiates two rheumatologists suggested would be the only way to improve my quality of life. They were right as the last two years are going the best they have in over a decade. I'm literally a poster boy for the pain practice's success stories now.