Do Lower Spine Injections Improve Outcomes for Lower Back Pain Patients

Do Lumbar Spine Injections Improve Short-Term Biomechanical Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

The purpose of this project is to determine the effect of lower back injections on select biomechanical outcomes, walking patterns, lower back flexibility and balance.

The purpose of this project is to determine the effect of lumbar injections on select biomechanics parameters; walking pattern, lumbar flexibility and balance. The surveys will help assess the patient's sense of functional ability and feeling of wellness compared with low back pain scores. The long terms goals of this project will be to elucidate the mechanism of action of injections and to improve identification of patients that are likely to benefit from injection therapy

Inclusion Criteria:

• diagnosis of lumbar spine stenosis
• receiving lumbar epidural injection
• age 18-90 years
• BMI <35kg/m2
• walking unaided

Exclusion Criteria:

• age <18 or >90 years
• BMI >35 kg/m2
• severely impaired intellectual capacity
• medications that could impact balance
• dementia, or other neurodegenerative diseases that would preclude appropriate cognitive or physical ability to perform study protocol