TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF LUMBAR FACETAL JOINT INJECTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NON � RADICULAR LOW BACK PAIN

Gaurav Mundada; Mohammed J Khan; Shraddha Singhania; Varun Gupta; Sohael M Khan; Pradeep K Singh

Volume : V, Issue : X, October - 2016

TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF LUMBAR FACETAL JOINT INJECTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NON � RADICULAR LOW BACK PAIN

Gaurav Mundada, Mohammed J Khan, Shraddha Singhania, Varun Gupta, Sohael M Khan, Pradeep K Singh

Abstract :

Background- The prevalence of low back pain & its impact on general health showed that 25% of patients reporting are Grade II - Grade IV low back pain (high pain intensity with disability), & 14% in patients with neck pain. However, every patient needs to be individualized & it is sometimes very difficult for treatment as neither conservative nor surgical treatment provides low back pain relief and definite long-term improvement in few patients. The aim of the study was to study the efficacy of local steroid injection in facetal joint in patients with chronic low back pain. Method & Materials- This is a prospective study. All the patients attending the Orthopaedics OPD with complain of low back pain which is non – radicular & more than 3 months of duration, earlier treated conservatively but no pain relieved. Sample size was 100 patients. All the cases more than 40 years were included in the study with duration of pain in low back from 3 months. The patients with Oswestry Pain Disability Questionnaire score higher than 20 were included. Results:- The mean age of the patients was 54.4. The minimum age was 43 and the maximum age was 69 years. Most of the patients were female. Most of the patients with low back pain were labourers followed by housewife, shopkeeper and clerk. The pre – injection VAS score was 6.2 and the mean Owestry disability index pre- injection was 61%. 80% patients had 50% pain relief post – injection and showed significant clinical and functional outcome on 1st follow – up. Where as 20% patient had significant pain relief post – injection but didn‘t show significant improvement both clinically and functionally on follow – up. On consecutive weekly follow – up the 60% of the patient had significant improvement. The commonest complication was Post – injection parasthesia post – injection, which eventually disappeared.