Title: The period of pain relief following a successful epidural steroid injection for low-back pain
Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of epidural steroid therapy for low-back pain and to identify factors that can influence the period of pain relief following this procedure. Study-design: Survival analysis of the period of pain relief following a successful epidural steroid injection for low-back pain. Methods: A total of 74 consecutive patients were screened, who were treated with epidural steroids for low-back pain. Patients considered as having clinical benefit from epidural steroid therapy and who did not have a relapse of their complaints in the follow-up period were included for an assessment by questionnaire. Results: Two months following epidural steroid therapy, 54% of the patients reported an improvement. One year after epidural steroid therapy, continuing pain relief occurred in 59% of the successfully treated patients and it decreased to 28% of the patients two years after treatment. In a Cox regression analysis of time to recurrence of pain complaints for the successfully treated patients, the pre-treatment variables angle at L3-L4 and spondylosis at L4-L5 were found to be statistically significant. Conclusions: The benefits of epidural steroid injections are of short duration only in the majority of the patients with low-back pain. The current study indicates that patients who can be expected to have a longer period of pain relief from this technique are patients with no spondylosis at L4-L5 and with a preserved lumbar lordosis at L3-L4.
Publication Year: 2002
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 13
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