Anyone who’s struggled to stand up straight after a long car ride or felt restless while sitting through a movie knows that arthritic knees are no fun.

And while more than 10% of knee arthritis patients get cortisone or other shots to relieve the pain, a new study suggests the practice may be linked to faster joint damage in the long run.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, analyzed data from more than 200 patients who were part of the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a project that tracked Americans with knee problems from 2004 to 2015.

The team used detailed MRI scans to assess knee-joint health. They evaluated images from two years before injections, at the time of injections and two years after.

Then, they performed a comprehensive assessment of cartilage, bone marrow, meniscus, ligaments and fluid buildup.

Researchers found that patients who received cortisone shots showed more signs of arthritis progression compared with those who either got no treatment at all or a different type of injection.

Meanwhile, patients who got hyaluronic acid injections — a gel-like lubricant for joints — avoided signs of worsening arthritis and showed less disease progression on MRI scans.

The researchers made clear, however, that the findings do not prove steroid injections cause arthritis to progress faster. Their study was observational and could not account for all differences between patients. Still, the results raise important questions.

Current guidelines call for cortisone shots for short-term pain relief and advise against the routine use of hyaluronic acid injections.

Next steps, as they say: Before you go for the needle, talk to your doctor.