Increased Trends of Spinal Injections in South Korea : A Nationwide Cohort Study

This study aims to evaluate nationwide trends in spinal injections in South Korea and to analyze the demographic, providerrelated, and sociocultural subgroups that may explain the continuous rise observed in clinical practice.

Using the National Health Insurance Sharing Service (NHISS) dataset, all spinal injection procedures were identified using Fee-for-Service codes. Annual utilization was expressed as total procedures and population-normalized rates per 100000 persons. Demographic characteristics, provider specialty distribution, and regional injection patterns were analyzed.

The annual number of patients receiving spinal injections increased from 432795 in 2008 to 3743410 in 2022. Population-adjusted rates rose from 882.23 to 7244.77 per 100000 persons, reflecting an 8.21-fold increase. The mean patient age increased from 56.9 to 58.7 years, with the ≥70-year population accounting for the largest growth. All specialties demonstrated higher procedural volumes, particularly neurosurgery and other departments. After 2020, the Seoul capital area exceeded non-capital regions in procedure numbers.

The present nationwide study suggests that the number of patients and procedures regarding spinal injections increased significantly between 2008 and 2022 in Korea.