इंटरनेशनल जर्नल ऑफ फिजिकल मेडिसिन एंड रिहैबिलिटेशन
खुला एक्सेस

अमूर्त

The Efficacy of Lumbar Stabilization Exercise Combined with Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection for Lumbar Radiating Pain

Yoongul Oh, Hee Song Lee and Ju Seok Ryu

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of exercises combined with transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) in patients with lumbar radiating pain. Methods: Among 359 patients who were treated with TFESI for lumbar radiating pain, 118 subjects were eligible and analyzed. The injections were performed for all patients with 20 mg triamcinolone, 1 ml lidocaine (0.5%) and 0.5 ml normal saline. Exercise group (n=45) received TFESI as well as additional stabilization exercise for 30 minute sessions over 3 weeks (three times weekly), while control group (n=73) received TFESI and did not receive any additional stabilization exercise. The effects were evaluated using Numercal Rating Scale (NRS) at pre-injection, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks after injection. Results: Between Exercise and Control group, there were no significant differences in sex, age and baseline NRS score (P>0.05). Compared with that of the baseline, mean NRS scores decreased significantly in both groups after 4 weeks. The improvement sustained until 24 weeks in exercise group, while mean NRS scores slightly increased in control group. The proportion of treatment success at 24 weeks were 68.9% in exercise group and 41.1% in control group (p<0.05, odds ratio=3.17). The exercise group had moderate effect size (d=0.568) compared to the control group at 24 weeks. Conclusion: Lumbar stabilization exercise combined with TFESI was more effective than TFESI alone for reducing lumbar radiating pain and reduced the rate of recurrence.