Clinical Outcomes of Transforaminal Injection in the Management of Lumber Radiculopathy

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of transforaminal dexamethasone injection in patients with lumber radiculopathy. Material and Methods: This one-year cross-sectional study was carried out at Afridi Medical Complex from February 2022 to January 2023. The included patients of lumber radiculopathy underwent a single dose of transforaminal dexamethasone injection under the guidance of a fluoroscope. The outcome measures including pain, disability, and mobility were assessed through VAS, RMDQ, and FTFD before, one month, and two months post-intervention. Results: The study included 487 patients undergoing the intervention, the mean age of participants was 52.3. Following the injection, the mean leg pain score improved from a baseline of 8.2 ± 1.1 to 3.0 ± 0.8 (p < 0.001). One-month post-injection, it further decreased to 2.5 ± 0.7 (p < 0.001) and at two months to 2.0 ± 0.6(p < 0.001). When measured at baseline the mobility score of FTFD was 18.6 ± 4.5 cm which then improved to 11.2 ± 3.7 cm after one month and then to a further 7.8 ± 2.9 cm at two months (p < 0.001). Conclusion: For those patients unresponsive to conservative treatment options including medication and physical therapy, transforaminal dexamethasone injection is a safe and effective intervention in terms of improvement in different outcome measures including pain, disability, mobility, and return to work.