1. Introduction
muscle weakness, intervertebral disc herniation, Oswestry Disability, hernia, numbness, pain, Lumbar radicular pain, professional disability, sciatica, disability, lumbar radicular pain
DEGENERATIVE CHANGES, MUSCLE WEAKNESS, HERNIATED INTERVERTEBRAL DISC, DEGENERATIVE, INTERVERTEBRAL DISC HERNIATION, HERNIATED DISC
Lumbar radicular pain is a major public health and economic problem. It is among the most common reasons for professional disability. The most common cause of lumbar radicular pain is intervertebral disc herniation, which results from degenerative disc changes. The dominant pain mechanisms are direct pressure of the hernia on the nerve root and the local inflammatory process triggered by intervertebral disc herniation. Treatment of lumbar radicular pain includes conservative, minimally invasive, and surgical treatment. The number of minimally invasive procedures is constantly increasing, and among these methods is epidural administration of steroids and local anesthetic through a transforaminal approach (ESI TF). The aim of this research was to examine the effectiveness of ESI TF as measured by a visual analog scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), depending on whether there is contact between the herniated intervertebral disc and the nerve root. In both groups of participants, there was a significant reduction in pain intensity, but there was no significant difference between the groups. In the group with disc herniation and nerve root contact, the only significant reduction was in pain intensity (Lumbar radicular pain is a major public health problem. In the medical literature, it is also called sciatica, defined as pain that spreads along the sciatic nerve to the lower extremities. In addition to pain, muscle weakness and leg numbness may also be present, significantly reducing the functionality and quality of life of patients [Degenerative changes that cause disc protrusion are the most common cause of lumbar radicular pain [ESI is effective for short-term treatment of pain and postponing surgery, but the evidence for a longer-term effect is lacking [The most common approaches to the epidural space are interlaminar (ESI IL), caudal, and transforaminal. Both ESI TF and ESI IL lead to a significant reduction in pain and disability; there is no significant difference between the two, although research has shown that the transforaminal approach is more effective and achieves an equivalent or better result with the use of a lower dose of corticosteroids [Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of ESI TF in the treatment of lumbar radicular pain caused by herniated intervertebral discs depending on the contact between the herniated disc and the nerve, as measured by the VAS and the ODI.