Understanding whether chronic lower back pain patients with lumbar spinal stenosis benefit from multiple epidural steroid injections prior to the Procedure.

Originally published in , this article is a summary of a study performed to look at the benefit, if any, of more than one epidural steroid injection in the spine before the Procedure. Minimally invasive lumbar decompression (commonly known as the Procedure) and epidural steroid injections are both common treatment options for lumbar spinal stenosis (commonly referred to as LSS), a condition that causes chronic lower back pain in older adults. To determine how to best treat LSS patients, healthcare professionals use a guide to help with the decision-making process (called an algorithm) to pass through non-medical to more invasive therapies that often includes one or more epidural steroid injections.

Minimally invasive direct decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis: impact of multiple prior epidural steroid injections.

A modified algorithm for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis with hypertrophic ligamentum flavum using minimally-invasive lumbar decompression ()was assessed, with a focus on earlier intervention. Records of 145 patients treated with after receiving 0-1 epidural steroid injections (ESIs) or 2+ ESIs were retrospectively reviewed. Pain assessments as measured by visual analog scale (VAS) scores were recorded at baseline and 1-week and 3-month follow-ups.

NSAIDs for analgesia in the era of COVID-19.

Globally, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are highly used to treat pain. With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety of NSAIDs use has been called into question. These concerns are worthy of review.