Adding corticosteroids to epidural lidocaine injections in patients with central lumbar spinal stenosis did not improve patient-reported pain or function at 12 months, according to a study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Here are three things to know:
1. In this randomized controlled trial of 400 patients aged 50 and older, patients were assigned to a 1- to 3-ml epidural corticosteroid injection plus 0.25 percent to 1 percent lidocaine or lidocaine alone.
2. At 12 months, the groups did not differ in terms of change in disability or pain intensity scores from baseline.
3. In a corresponding editorial, Nitin B. Jain, MD, of Nashville-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center, claimed corticosteroid spinal injections could have a role in clinical practice even if they do not lead to better outcomes at 12 months if they can provide better symptomatic relief at six weeks.
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