2 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Cervical radicular pain is relatively common, often treated with epidural steroid injection (ESI), when conservative treatments like oral analgesics, physical therapy and activity modification have failed. There are no universal clinical practice guidelines for the use of diluents when CESI are performed. Interlaminar CESI may be performed with or without the use of local anesthetics, due to training bias or theoretical concerns of weakness. CESI without the benefit of local anesthetic as a steroid diluent increases the latency of pain relief and may decrease diagnostic information immediately after a CESI with regard to pain generators responsible for symptoms, and may potentially decrease patient satisfaction. By evaluating the effects of local anesthetic as a diluent during interlaminar cervical ESI, we will enhance the safety of this treatment with regard to expectations of objective motor weakness as well as post procedure pain control and patient satisfaction in the recovery phase after the injection procedure. Research Question: Does lidocaine versus saline as a steroid diluent effect objective upper extremity strength following cervical epidural steroid injection in patients being treated for cervical radiculitis? Null Hypothesis: Cervical epidural steroid injections that include local anesthetic as a diluent have no effect on objective upper extremity strength following the injection. We hypothesized that cervical epidural lidocaine will cause an objective decrease in strength in functional movements of the upper extremity.
Mounting evidence does support the combined use of manual physical therapy (MPT)and exercise for patients with cervicogenic headache and mechanical neck pain. However, there is insufficient evidence to assess the effectiveness of MPT and exercise for patients with neck disorders with radicular symptoms. Our purpose for this study was to determine the effectiveness of a manual physical therapy and exercise program as compared to a minimal intervention approach in the treatment of patients with mechanical neck pain, with or without upper extremity symptoms.