The role of spinal injections towards optimizing patient selection for spinal surgery: A proof-of-concept study in 176 lower back pain patients.

Abstract

Background: Managing degenerative lumbar diseases is challenging due to the complexity of identifying symptom causes, especially when multiple pathologies coexist. This study evaluated the impact of patient-specific lumbar spine infiltrations on therapeutic strategies in patients with multiple spinal pathologies (MSP) or specific spinal pathologies (SSP).

Methods: A retrospective cohort of 176 patients treated for subacute or chronic lumbar pain with targeted spinal infiltrations was analyzed. Patients were categorized based on the presence of MSP or SSP. The primary endpoint was the relief of lumbar spine-specific symptoms following each infiltration. Secondary endpoints included epidemiological factors and comorbidities, while tertiary endpoints focused on post-treatment recommendations and performed treatments.

Results: High rates of spinal pain (97.1% in both groups) and radiating symptoms (88.2% in SSP and 92.3% in MSP) were reported. Psychological conditions were significantly more prevalent in female patients (19.4% vs. 7.7%, p = 0.0307), whereas hip osteoarthritis was more common in male patients (20.5% vs. 9.2%, p = 0.0490). Among all infiltration types, lumbar transforaminal injections were the most effective, leading to pain reduction in 80.1% of SSP patients and 72.2% of MSP patients. Facet joint and sacroiliac joint infiltrations also frequently resulted in pain reduction in both groups. Overall, conservative treatment was recommended for most patients (73.3%), while only 22.7% of all evaluated patients were recommended for surgical intervention. Additionally, seven patients received a hip prosthesis.

Conclusions: Patient-specific lumbar spine infiltrations effectively relieve pain, support therapeutic decision-making, and tend to favor conservative treatment approaches. These findings highlight the role of infiltration therapies in managing both mixed and specific lumbar spine pathologies, suggesting their potential to reduce the need for surgical interventions.