Treatment outcomes of peri-articular steroid injection for patients with work-related sacroiliac joint pain and lumbar para-spinal muscle strain

• Published in: International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 111 - 120
• Main Authors: Medani, Khalid, Bvute, Kushinga, Narayan, Natasha, Reis, Cesar, Sharip, Akbar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Poland Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Adrenal Cortex Hormones - administration & dosage; Adrenal Cortex Hormones - therapeutic use; Adult; Aged; Back pain; California; Clinical outcomes; Corticosteroids; Diagnostic systems; Disease; Dosage and administration; Drug therapy; Electronic health records; Electronic medical records; Environmental health; Female; Health services; Humans; Injection; Injections, Intra-Articular; Injuries; Joints (anatomy); Low back pain; Low Back Pain - drug therapy; lumbar strain; Lumbosacral Region - injuries; Male; Medicine; Middle Aged; Muscles; Occupational Diseases - drug therapy; Orthopedics; Pain; para-spinal muscle strain; Patient outcomes; Patients; peri-articular steroid injection; Physical therapy; Public health; Retrospective Studies; Return to Work - statistics & numerical data; Sacroiliac Joint; sacroiliac joint pain; Signs and symptoms; Sprains and Strains - drug therapy; Steroids; Steroids (Drugs); Treatment Outcome; trigger point injection; work-related low back pain; Workers compensation; California; United States; United States > US; Loma Linda California; sacroiliac joint pain; lumbar strain; para-spinal muscle strain; work-related low back pain; trigger point injection; peri-articular steroid injection
• ISSN: 1232-1087; 1896-494X
• DOI: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01602

Evaluating treatment outcomes of local corticosteroid injections for work-related lower back pain (LBP) as the current evidence for the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine guidelines is considered insufficient to recommend this practice. The authors conducted a retrospective study involving the patients who were treated with peri-articular and lower lumbar corticosteroid injections for work-related LBP at their occupational medicine clinic. Sixty-four patients met the inclusion criteria. The average pain level was reduced from M±SD 5.1±2.0 to M±SD 3.1±2.3 after the corticosteroid injection (p < 0.0001). Thirty-five patients (55%) were discharged to regular duty; 23 (36%) were transferred to orthopedics due to persistent pain; and 6 (9%) were lost to follow-up. Corticosteroid injections for work-related LBP are effective in reducing pain and enhancing discharge to regular duty. Nonetheless, larger prospective trials are needed to validate these findings. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(1):111-20.