A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF EFFICACY OF EPIDURAL STEROID INJECTIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF  LOW BACK PAIN AND LUMBOSACRAL RADICULOPATHY

Dr. Sriram Thanigai; Dr. Deviprasad; Dr. Aanand Shankar; Dr. Rajkumar

Volume : IV, Issue : VII, July - 2015

A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF EFFICACY OF EPIDURAL STEROID INJECTIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF LOW BACK PAIN AND LUMBOSACRAL RADICULOPATHY

Dr. Sriram Thanigai, Dr. Deviprasad, Dr. Aanand Shankar, Dr. Rajkumar

Abstract :

Introduction: Low back pain and Lumbosacral Radiculopathy are the most common complaints of patients with an herniated disc. Most commonly used treatment modality is a simple, effective epidural steroid injection. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of epidural steroid injection in low back pain.Epidural steroid injections is one of the non-operative management of back pain. These injections are recommended in patients with signs and symptoms of nerve root irritation. Relief of pain is attributed to the anti-inflammatory effect of the steroid. Material and Method: This is a prospective observational study. It was carried out on the patients presenting with low back pain and Lumbar radiculopathy not responding to conservative management and had MRI proven lumbar disc prolapse at different levels. Injection methyl prednisolone 80 mg with 2ml of 0.5% bupivacaine was diluted in 6ml of normal saline and injected into the lumbar epidural space. Seventy patients received epidural steroid injection,out of which eight patients required further surgery.The remaining sixty two patients were analyzed,followed-up for 8 months.The functional status and pain response of patients were analyzed and significant improvement was found during the follow-up period.The success rate of study was 88.5 %. No complications were encountered. Conclusion: Epidural steroid injection for lumbar radicular pain is an Effective mode of treatment.