Preemptive caudal anesthesia on back pain after lumbar discectomy: a randomized and controlled study

In this randomized and prospective research, we aimed to relieve surgical and muscle-related pain early after lumbar disc operations with caudal preemptive analgesia.

A total of 120 patients with single-level lumbar disc herniation were included in this study. The caudal epidural injection was performed for all patients 20 min before surgery. The patients were divided into three groups. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or tramadol use were recorded. Pre-operative and post-operative pain was interpreted through a visual analog scale.

There was a difference between the groups in all post-operative measurements (p < 0.05), between Group 1 and Group 3, and between Group 2 and Group 3. A statistical significance has been achieved between the groups at the 1^st h, 2^nd h, 4^th h, and 24^th h (p < 0.05). The difference between the pain intensities of the patients at the 24^th h and the 1^st week was statistically significant in Groups 1 and 2 (p < 0.05). Evaluation of the effects of medical treatments reduced the severity of back pain and foot pain.

The preemptive bupivacaine or in combination with methylprednisolone caudal injection is an effective and safe method to reduce post-operative pain and ameliorate functional capacity for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation.