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[Therapeutic local anesthesia in acute back pain]
1Abteilung für Klinische Forschung der Pharma Stroschein GmbH, Hamburg.
Fortschritte Der Medizin
|April 30, 1991
Summary
Local lidocaine injections effectively treat acute low back pain, with high symptom relief rates. Additional NSAID treatment showed no significant benefit over lidocaine alone for pain management.
Area of Science:
- Pain Management
- Anesthesiology
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
Context:
- Acute low back pain is a common condition with functional or degenerative causes.
- Current treatments often involve non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- The efficacy and safety of local lidocaine analgesia as a standalone treatment require further investigation.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of therapeutic local lidocaine analgesia for acute low back pain.
- To compare the outcomes of lidocaine treatment with and without the addition of NSAIDs.
- To assess the impact of lidocaine on specific low back pain symptoms and functional tests.
Summary:
- A study involving 310 patients investigated local lidocaine for acute low back pain.
- High response rates (85.2%-91.1%) and symptom elimination (44.6%-69.7%) were observed with lidocaine.
- Functional improvements in the finger-to-floor test (87.6%) and Schober's sign (81.2%) were noted.
- No adverse effects were reported.
- Adding NSAIDs did not significantly improve outcomes compared to lidocaine alone.
Impact:
- Local lidocaine monotherapy is a well-tolerated and effective treatment for most cases of acute low back pain.
- This finding suggests that NSAIDs may not be necessary as an add-on therapy, potentially reducing polypharmacy.
- The study supports lidocaine as a primary treatment option, offering a safe alternative for pain relief.