Introduction Epidural injections considered to be the mostly performed nonsurgical
treatment for radicular pain due to Lumbar disc herniation. Different types of epidural
injections have been used in the management of lumbar radiculopathy including local
anaesthetics only, different types of steroids, and combined steroids and local
anaesthetics using different approaches.
Methods The literature review used in this assignment will focus on the use of epidural
injections in the management of sciatica. High quality evidence with different study
design will be discussed including Systematic reviews, Randomised Control trials
(RCTs) and retrospective studies.
Discussion Different types of epidural injections have been studied in the management
of lumbar radiculopathy including local anaesthetics only, different types of steroids,
and combined steroids and local anaesthetics using different approaches. Studies
have been conducted in order to assess the superiority of one type on the other in term
of pain relief, functional improvement, and reduce the surgical intervention.
Conclusion the literature has shown that epidural injections are effective treatment for
LDH in term of both pain relief and functional improvement regardless of the type of
injections whether steroids with local anaesthetics or local anaesthetics alone. There is
strong evidence showing that epidural injections are more effective in the short term (<
6 months) than the long term (> 6 months).