| The Efficacy of a Medial Branch Block in Relieving Aggravated Pain in Young Male Patients due to Spondylolysis : A Short-term Follow-up Study |
|
Ki Yong Cha, Jun Mo Park, Sang Ho Lee, Yong Ahn |
|
Department of Neurosurgery, Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Wooridul Spine Hospital, Daegu, Korea |
|
|
| Abstract |
Objective
Spondylolysis usually requires conservative management as a first treatment option and it is initially treated using
conservative methods. Medical branch block (MBB) and physical therapy (PT) included these kind of manage are used to relieve pain due to spinal diseases. The efficacy of these two methods has already been proven. The purpose of this study was to that investigate the effect of MBB on young patients suffering from an recently aggravated nonrelieved pain due to spondylolysis and to compare the effectiveness of MBB and PT for spondylolysis using a visual analog scale (VAS) score.
Materials and Methods: The study was a prospective analysis of 107 patients with spondylolysis only. All patients presented at the outpatient clinic for back pain evaluation. These patients were in the mandatory military service and their pain had been recently aggravated in the previous three months or less. We treated the patients using three methods. Twenty-two patients underwent MBB, 49 patients received PT and the remaining 36 patients received, both treatments. During the treatment over two months, the patients were instructed to cease activity for the same periods by wearing a custom lumbar orthosis. Clinical outcomes were assessed by the degree of decrease of VAS evaluated when the patients hospitalized at the clinic and 2 months after treatment.
Results
Seventy-seven percents of patients who received MBB achieved pain resolution according to the VAS score and about fifty-one per cent of the patients receiving only PT had pain relief. The combined treatment was effective in fifty-three percent of the patients.
Conclusions
In acute aggravated back pain due to spondylolysis without instability or spondylolisthesis, MBB may be more effective therapy than either PT or the combination therapy. |
| Key Words:
Medial branch block, Physical therapy, Spondylolysis. |
|
PDF Links
Full text via DOI
Download Citation
