Steroid Injections Relieve Back Pain But On Temporarily Basis

If you suffer from back pain related to a ruptured disc, you may have heard about spinal epidural steroid injections to bring relief.

A new study points out that steroid shots temporarily alleviate lower back pain. He advised spine practitioners to prescribe them only if the first-line treatment for low back pain, which usually consists of therapy and over-the-counter painkillers, don’t work. “It’s important for them to understand that benefits appear to be short-lived and to weigh these short-term benefits against potential complications of the injections, such as infection and nerve injury”.

Similar conclusions have also been reached in some of the earlier studies, but some benefit has also been shown in a few studies.

“Patients may have a perception that these injections reduce the need of surgery or result in long-term benefits”.

During the tests and experiments that the research team conducted, subjects who had ruptured discs experienced immediate pain relief and improved function after receiving spinal steroid injections.

For most patients suffering from spinal stenosis, surgery is the best treatment, Shamie said.

Steroid injections are a common treatment for lower back pain.

Lead study author Dr. Roger Chou, of the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and colleagues publish their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

According to the authors, side effects happened as well, such as blood clots and nerve root irritations. Each year, more than a million people are administered epidural injections either with local anesthetic or steroids, and so far, their benefits are still outweighing the risks.

Other than surgery, these conditions defied any other type of great treatment and unfortunately therefore, only limited options were available for treatment. He went on to add that he always lets his patients know that “the natural history for both of these conditions is for improvement over time”.

The conclusions made by the study were of low quality and thus can not be used for realistic daily practice of spine medicine, comments Dr. Zack McCormick, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

He noted, however, that the aim of epidural corticosteroid injections is to improve short-term symptoms and quality of life for the patient, not to provide a long-term cure. Patients who used steroids experienced immediate reduction in the pain but the effect was not everlasting.

“Epidural steroid injections should not be used as an isolated therapy”, he added.

The question now stands as to why it would be worth offering the temporary option then, but patients are often frightened of surgery and might resort to any means to avoid it. However, they are advised not to fool themselves into thinking it’s a permanent solution to a common problem.