The role of transforaminal nerve block in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation and spinal canal stenosis

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate patients undergoing transforaminal nerve block treatment in lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and spinal canal stenosis. Methods: It is an observational descriptive cross-sectional study at a single tertiary care hospital. It is based on a review of electronic medical records of patients suffering from lower back pain from either LDH or spinal canal stenosis and who underwent transforaminal nerve blocks between January 2019 and December 2021. Results: A total of 440 patients were included in this study. Study findings reported that the etiology behind the treatment was mostly due to spinal canal stenosis with 223 cases (50.7%), followed by disc bulge with 208 cases (47.3%), two cases had both diagnoses, and the others had different etiologies such as degenerative disease with scoliosis, micro decompression. The visual analog scale pain score was highest on the pre-injection time point (7.1 ± 1.1) and decreased significantly with time after the injection to reach 2.7 ± 1.04 after 6 months. Similarly, the Oswestry Disability Index was high during pre-injection (64.9 ± 7.5) and decreased significantly to 19.3 ± 16.2 after 1-day post-injection and 13.2 ± 3.8 after 6 months. Conclusion: This study proves that transforaminal nerve block is an alternative treatment with proven efficacy and safety with quick pain relief in these patients, especially in the early phase, with immediate benefit.