Objective: Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) mediated back pain has proven therapeutic benefit from fluoroscopically guided SIJ corticosteroid injections. We examined corticosteroid dose and pain relief following fluoroscopically guided SIJ injections to better understand their relationship.
Design: Retrospective observational cohort analysis of electronic health record data on 661 patients who received unilateral fluoroscopically guided SIJ intraarticular corticosteroid injection with 40 mg versus 80 mg of methylprednisolone from 2012 and 2019. Patients were injected by fellowship trained proceduralists after diagnosis by board certified physiatrists in an academic physiatry practice. Absolute change in pain scores (post-procedure and first follow up) was modeled using linear regression of methylprednisolone dosage (40 mg vs. 80 mg) controlling for age, sex, BMI, baseline pain scores, and follow-up time.
Results: Linear regression indicated that dosage of methylprednisolone, age and BMI were not statistically significantly associated with change in pain scores. Sex approached significance (p = 0.0501) indicating that females may have a lower degree of pain resolution than males.
Conclusions: Practitioners should consider corticosteroid dose when performing these beneficial procedures. This could reduce cost and potential side effects associated with larger doses, while still providing therapeutic benefit. This pilot study can guide future research and dosing guidelines for fluoroscopic spine injections.
Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.