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Meta-Analysis
. 2022 May 26:2022:8952220.
doi: 10.1155/2022/8952220. eCollection 2022.

Clinical Efficacy of Epidural Injections of Local Anesthetic Alone or Combined with Steroid for Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Bang-Zhi Li  1   2 , Wen-Hai Tang  3 , Yang Li  1   2 , Lei Zhou  1   2 , Ming-Guo Liu  2   4   5 , Sheng-Xue Bao  6
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Clinical Efficacy of Epidural Injections of Local Anesthetic Alone or Combined with Steroid for Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Bang-Zhi Li et al. Biomed Res Int. .

Abstract

Aims: To compare the effectiveness of cervical epidural injections of local anesthetic with vs. without a steroid.

Methods: Three databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library) were used to search and assess all clinical randomized controlled trials regarding the clinical efficacy of epidural injections from January 01, 2009, to October 31, 2020. Cochrane review criteria and the Interventional Pain Management Techniques-Quality Appraisal of Reliability and Risk of Bias Assessment instrument were used to evaluate the methodologic quality of the included studies. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed according to best evidence synthesis principles and by single-arm meta-analysis, respectively.

Results: Based on the search criteria, 4 RCTs were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed in the single-arm meta-analysis. Treatment with lidocaine alone or with the steroid resulted in decreases of 4.46 and 4.29 points, respectively, in pain scores and of 15.8 and 14.46 points, respectively, in functional scores at 6 months. Similar trends were observed at the 1-year follow-up: pain scores decreased by 4.27 and 4.14 points, while functional scores decreased by 15.94 and 14.44 points in patients with neck pain who received lidocaine without or with the steroid, respectively. In the 3 studies that reported 2-year follow-up data, patients with neck pain treated with lidocaine or lidocaine + steroid showed 4.2- and 4.14-point decreases, in pain score and 15.92- and 14.89-point decreases, respectively, in functional scores.

Conclusions: The studies showed level I (strong) evidence for short- and long-term improvements in pain relief and functionality with cervical epidural injections of local anesthetic alone or with a steroid in the management of neck pain.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram illustrating published literature evaluating epidural injection in neck pain.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Change in functional level using Neck Disability Index (NDI).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Change in pain score level using numeric rating scale (NRS).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Change in pain score level using numeric rating scale (NRS).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Change in functional level using Neck Disability Index (NDI).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Change in pain score level using numeric rating scale (NRS).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Change in functional level using Neck Disability Index (NDI).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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