Modic changes have been associated with low back pain in many clinical studies and are often considered a part of the disc degeneration process. Modic type 1 change is considered an inflammatory process. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections in Modic type-1 changes.
Modic changes have been associated with low back pain in many clinical studies and are often considered a part of the disc degeneration process. However, in degenerative disc disease, whether the pain could be attributed to Modic changes or not is still a matter of debate. There are different options in the treatment of low back pain due to degenerative disc disease (DDD) and Modic changes. Conservative treatments and surgical approaches are some of them. Other interventional procedures include intradiscal and epidural steroid injections which have relatively less risk of complications than surgery. The only study in the literature investigating the effectiveness of epidural steroid injections in patients with low back pain associated with modic changes belongs to Butterman et al. They reported that patients with Modic changes (type 1) responded better to epidural steroid injections than those without endplate irregularities. However, they did not report the details of the procedure, such as the steroid and local anesthetic they used, the amount of them and the level of the procedure. Moreover, they used different approaches including interlaminar and transforaminal, which may be misleading while interpreting the results. Based on these results, the aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections in Modic type-1 changes.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
Kambin's triangle approach in transforaminal epidural injection: Kambin's triangle is defined as a right triangle over the dorsolateral disc. The hypotenuse is the exiting nerve root, the base is the superior border of the caudal vertebra, and the height is the dura/traversing nerve root. it is possible to inject agents at the entrance and middle zone as the main areas of nerve entrapment by injecting at the retrodiscal area of the entrance zone, as proximal area of the targeted nerve root.
Marmara University, Faculty of Medicine
Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
RECRUITINGnumeric rating scale
a scale used to measure the severity of pain. "0" is scored as no pain, "10" as the most severe pain that could be. The patient scores between 0 and 10 for pain.
Time frame: Baseline
numeric rating scale
a scale used to measure the severity of pain. "0" is scored as no pain, "10" as the most
Time frame: first month
numeric rating scale
a scale used to measure the severity of pain. "0" is scored as no pain, "10" as the most
Time frame: third month
numeric rating scale
a scale used to measure the severity of pain. "0" is scored as no pain, "10" as the most
Time frame: sixth month
Oswestry disability index
a functional disability index used in low back pain. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) consists of 10 items. The items question the severity of pain, self-care, lifting-carrying, walking, sitting, standing, sleep, the degree of pain change, travel and social life. There are six statements under each item, marking what is appropriate for the patient's condition. The first statement is scored as "0" and the sixth statement as "5". The higher the total score, the higher the level of disability.
Time frame: Baseline
Oswestry disability index
a functional disability index used in low back pain. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) consists of 10 items. The items question the severity of pain, self-care, lifting-carrying, walking, sitting, standing, sleep, the degree of pain change, travel and social life. There are six statements under each item, marking what is appropriate for the patient's condition. The first statement is scored as "0" and the sixth statement as "5". The higher the total score, the higher the level of disability.
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Time frame: first month
Oswestry disability index
a functional disability index used in low back pain. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) consists of 10 items. The items question the severity of pain, self-care, lifting-carrying, walking, sitting, standing, sleep, the degree of pain change, travel and social life. There are six statements under each item, marking what is appropriate for the patient's condition. The first statement is scored as "0" and the sixth statement as "5". The higher the total score, the higher the level of disability.
Time frame: third month
Oswestry disability index
a functional disability index used in low back pain. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) consists of 10 items. The items question the severity of pain, self-care, lifting-carrying, walking, sitting, standing, sleep, the degree of pain change, travel and social life. There are six statements under each item, marking what is appropriate for the patient's condition. The first statement is scored as "0" and the sixth statement as "5". The higher the total score, the higher the level of disability.
Time frame: sixth month