Therapeutic Effect of Medical Ozone on Lumbar Disc Herniation

Background: This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of low, medium, and high concentrations of medical ozone on trauma-induced lumbar disc herniation. Material/Methods: A total of 80 patients were included and were grouped into a control group, a low medical ozone (20 mu g/ml) group, a medium medical ozone (40 mu g/ml) group, and a high medical ozone (60 mu g/ml) group. The CT scan and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect IL-6 level, SOD activity, IgM, and IgG levels upon admission and at 6 and 12 months after follow-up. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated for visual analogue scale (VAS) and efficiency rate. Results: All patients showed disc retraction at 6-and 12-month follow-up; while patients in the medium medical ozone (40 mu g/ml) group showed the greatest disc retraction rate. The IL-6, IgM, IgG, and VAS levels significantly decreased while SOD activity increased among all groups over time (p<0.05). The AUC IL-6, AUC IgG, AUC IgM, and AUC SOD was closest to 1 in the medium medical ozone (40 mu g/ml) group compared with other groups (p<0.01), with the highest efficacy at 6 (35%) and 12 (85%) months during follow-up. Conclusions: Low concentrations of medical ozone (20 mu g/ml and 40 mu g/ml) reduced the serum IL-6, IgG, and IgM expression, presenting as analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, while high concentrations of medical ozone (60 mu g/ml) increased the serum IL-6, IgG, IgM expression, presenting as pain and pro-inflammatory effects. The medical ozone concentration of 40 mu g/ml showed the optimal treatment efficacy.