SynthesisAging clinical and experimental research2026
Effectiveness of epidural steroid injections for low back pain in older adults: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Aging clinical and experimental research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLow back pain (LBP) is a global health problem that contributes to disability, psychological distress, and reduced quality of life in older adults. Current treatment guidelines for LBP support the use of conservative therapies such as physical therapy alongside medication management. However, interventional pain management strategies for LBP such as lumbar epidural steroid injection (LESI) are rarely mentioned.
aimsWe conducted this systematic review to characterize and evaluate the use and effectiveness of LESI amongst older adults with LBP.
methodsWe conducted a systematic English-language literature search of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. We used an iterative approach to identify both keywords and controlled vocabulary related to treatment outcomes of epidural interventions for LBP among older adults. The results were reviewed by three members of the team.
resultsOur search of 3 databases produced a total of 2657 studies and 12 met final inclusion criteria. In all studies, the use of LESI was associated with improvement in pain and/or quality of life. DISCUSSION: As compared to medication management, LESI was associated with statistically significant improvements in pain and functional status. The addition of physical therapy was not superior to LESI alone.
conclusionsThis systematic review is the first that focuses on the effectiveness of LESI in managing LBP in older adults. This review suggests that LESI may reduce pain and improve functional status in older adults, particularly as compared to medication management. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: The study was prospectively registered on Prospero (ID # 422087). CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not Applicable.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.