Iliopsoas Injections: A Systematic Review of Patient Outcomes and Progression to Surgery

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Pain Management

Background:

• Iliopsoas injuries frequently cause anterior hip and groin pain.
• Conservative management is standard, with injections as an adjunct therapy.
• Variability in injection protocols necessitates a literature review.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review literature on iliopsoas injections.
• To assess patient outcomes and progression to surgery post-injection.
• To evaluate effectiveness for hip and groin pain pathologies.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of four databases (PubMed, Cochrane, MEDLINE, Scopus) until January 2024.
• Adherence to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
• Independent review of titles, abstracts, and full texts by three reviewers.

Main Results:

• Six studies (28.6-month follow-up) included patients with bursitis, tendinopathy, and snapping hip.
• Significant pain reduction (Numeric Rating Scale: 7.33 to 2.47) and functional improvement (Harris Hip Score: 58.49 to 89.91) observed.
• 28.9% of patients proceeded to surgery; no complications were reported.

Conclusions:

• Iliopsoas injections are clinically effective for bursitis, tendinopathy, and snapping hip.
• These injections demonstrate a low complication rate.
• Consider iliopsoas injections for refractory symptoms despite conservative management.