Evaluation of the Combined Effectiveness of Transforaminal and Facet Joint Injections in Low Back and Leg Pain Unresponsive to Conservative Treatment

Objective: This study evaluates the short-to mid-term effectiveness of simultaneous transforaminal anterior epidural injection (TAEE) and facet joint injections (FJI) in patients with acute low back and leg pain and assesses the impact of obesity on treatment outcomes.Methods: Sixty-seven patients (22 males, 45 females) underwent TAEE and FJI.Pain levels were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) before treatment and at the 6-month follow-up.Non-parametric tests and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.Results: A total of 105 TAEE and 302 FJI procedures were performed.Significant reductions in VAS and ODI scores were observed at 6 months (p<0.05).Obese patients had significantly higher VAS scores at follow-up (p=0.002 for low back pain, p=0.019 for radicular pain).However, logistic regression analysis showed that obesity was not an independent predictor of post-treatment VAS scores (p=0.211,p=0.168).Conclusion: TAEE and FJI effectively reduce pain in patients with low back and leg pain unresponsive to conservative treatment.While obesity may delay pain relief, it does not independently affect treatment success.