Muhammad Salman, Sikander Hayat, Syed Dilbagh Ali Shah, Muhammad Ayaz Khan.
Efficacy of Epidural Steroid Injections in Management of Low Back Ache & Sciatica.
Ophthalmol Update Jan ;15(2):151-3.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of epidural steroid injection (ESI) in patients with low back ache (LBA) and radiculopathy. Place and duration of study: Orthopaedic department of Khyber teaching hospital, Peshawar from November 2014 to October 2016. Patients and methods: In this study eighty five patients of both gender with LBA and radiculopathy not responding to conservative treatment were included. Injection methyl prednisolone 80 mg with 2ml of 1% lidocaine was diluted in 8ml of distilled water and injected into the lumbar epidural space. The patients were assessed before and after the procedure clinically. Subjective decrease in pain of >= 50% was considered as effective treatment. The patients were reviewed after two weeks, one month and six months after the ESI. Results: Out of eighty five patients seventy patients were analyzed, among them 45 (64.3%) were male and 25 (35.7%) female. The mean age of patients was 42.2 (�9.71) years. Fifty patients showed symptomatic improvement after the first dose of ESI within two weeks while twenty required 2nd dose of ESI amongst which only six patients improved. The overall success rate was 80%. The gender and duration of LBP was not significantly related to the initial response. Conclusion: Epidural steroid injections is effective in the conservative management of low back pain with radiculopathy.

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