The Determination of the Efficacy of Neural Therapy in Conservative Treatment-resistant Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain

Study Design. A randomized clinical trial. Objective. The aim of this article is to determine the effectiveness of neural therapy (NT) in patients with chronic low back pain (LBP) who are resistant to medical and physical therapies. Summary of Background Data. Patients with LBP generally respond well to the treatment, whereas some cases do not improve via medical and physical therapies. Although trigger point injections (TPIs) may be an effective short-term treatment in selected patients with LBP, they are not recommended in patients with chronic LBP due to a long-lasting benefit not being demonstrated. Methods. Fifty patients, who had inadequate functional recovery and pain relief, with chronic LBP were randomly divided into two groups: Group 1, only single TPI; Group 2, NT. NT including local-segmental treatment (intradermal injections) on the lumbosacral region, 5M injection (intradermal injections of the projection of the pelvic organs on the suprapubic region), pelvic plexus injection, i.v. injection (2 mL) for five sessions per a week. All patients in group 2 received the same kind of intervention every seance but interference field injections (injections into umbilicus for all patients and injections into scars resulting from vaccination and surgical operations such as cesarean section, if any) were also applied at the only first seance. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores for current pain during activities and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) scores for disability were recorded at baseline and 1, 3, 6 months post-injection. Results. The VAS and RMDQ scores at 3 and 6 months were significantly lower in Group 2 versus Group 1 (P<0.05). Conclusion. NT may be an alternative treatment option in patients with chronic LBP for pain relief and functional recovery in the long run.