Treatment of Diskogenic Low Back Pain Using Epidural Steroid

Kang, Jae Do; Kim, Chul Un; Kim, Yong Dae

Abstract

Today, the exact causal relationship between prolapsed intervertebral disk and sciatica remains unclear. Murphy has proposed that inflammation rather than mechanical pressure is the basis of back pain and sciatica, and that causal irritant is likely to be a chemical product of disk degeneration. The administration of steroids into the epidural space reduces the inflammatory process of the neural structure is well known. We have studied the effect of injection of methylprednisolone acetate (Depomedrol) comparing with the effect of operative treatment. One hundred and eleven cases suffuring from diskogenic low back pain had been treated at Wallace Memorial Baptist Hospital during 2.5 years period from May 1979 to Nov. 1981. The results were as follows: 1. Sixteen patients (14%) stated that they had no relief from the injection, 24(22%) were moderately improved, 52(47%) were markedly improved and 19(17%) were completely relieved of symptoms. 2. The candidates for laminectomy which were confirmed by myelogram had complete improvement in 12%, marked improvement in 39%, moderate improvement in 21%, no relief in 28%.