Serkan AYDIN, Ozgur KAYA, Ferhat Yavuz AKBAY, Erkan AKGUN, Funda ATAR
Medicine Science - 2026;15(1):397-402
This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections (ESIs)in patients with chronic low back pain due to lumbar disc herniation who did not respond to conservative treatment. ESIs in this study resulted in a statistically significant reduction in pain and improvement in functional outcomes. Baseline Visual Analog Scale (V AS) scores (8.02+/-1.00) decreased to 3.80+/-2.53 at one month, 3.60+/-2.80 at three months, and 3.57+/-3.04 at six months (p<0.001). Similarly, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores showed a mean reduction of 37.8 points following the intervention (p<0.001, Cohen's d=1.610), indicating substantial functional recovery. The most pronounced benefit was observed in patients with sequestrated disc herniations, where pain relief and functional gains were particularly evident. These findings demonstrate that transforaminal ESIs provide clinically meaningful and sustained outcomes in carefully selected patients with chronic low back pain.
