BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Conventional transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) has several problems. The purpose of this study was to compare the temporary diagnostic relief and advantages of TFESI performed using the conventional and posterolateral approaches. METHODS From August to December 2004, 187 patients received TFESI for lumbar radicular pain. A total of 108 patients (65 women...

BACKGROUND Anecdotal report suggests that provocation of pain during epidural steroid injection (ESI) that is concordant with typical radicular symptoms predicts pain outcome following injection. However, limited evidence exists that substantiates this theory. Additionally, there is a paucity of literature investigating factors associated with the provocation of pain during ESI. OBJECTIVES Th...

BACKGROUND Chronic inguinal neuralgia involving ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves is a frequent complication of surgical procedures involving a lower abdominal incision such as hernia repair, appendicitis surgery, or cesarean sections. Chronic inguinal neuralgia is a very painful condition and diagnosis can be challenging as it is an overlooked impairment. Existing specific treatments are...

We studied 30 consecutive outpatients (14 men and 16 women; mean (SD) age 46 (11-8) years) with gallstone disease, confirmed by ultrasonography or radiography or at operation, who complained of biliary colic. Patients were randomly treated under double blind conditions with either 75 mg diclofenac sodium given intramuscularly or placebo and were followed up for 24 hours. All patients had given ...

INTRODUCTION Pain in scleritis may be difficult to control with conventional immuno-suppressive regimes. Amitriptyline may be an effective option in those circumstances. CASE PRESENTATION A 41-year-old woman presented with scleritis and eye pain that was refractory to treatment with steroid and immunosuppressive agents. Effective pain relief and reduction of steroid dose was only achieved aft...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections are commonly performed for temporary pain relief or diagnostic presurgical planning in patients with cervical radiculopathy. Intravascular injection of steroids during the procedure can potentially result in cord infarct, stroke, and even death. CT-fluoroscopy allows excellent anatomic resolution and precise needle posit...

Suprascapular nerve blockade improves pain, range of motion, and disability in acute and chronic shoulder pain. Pain relief usually lasts several hours with local anesthetic. If steroids are added, the relief lasts several weeks. Since repetitive steroid exposure is associated with several hazards, alternative long-term therapies would be desirable. Pulsed mode radiofrequency is a non-destructi...

STUDY DESIGN A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. OBJECTIVE To determine the clinical effectiveness of therapeutic local anesthetic cervical medial branch blocks with or without steroid in managing chronic neck pain of facet joint origin. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The prevalence of persistent neck pain, secondary to involvement of cervical facet or zygapophysial joints, has been d...

BACKGROUND Lateral epicondylitis is a common problem affecting 1-3% of the population. There has been much debate about the best treatment modality for this condition. There is, however, no conclusive evidence in support of any of the proposed treatment modalities. In this trial, we have studied the effect of corticosteroid injection (with or without splinting) with normal saline injection (wit...