Group I received thoracic interlaminar epidural injections of 6 mL of 2% preservative-free prilocaine.

Group II received injections of 4 mL of 2% preservative-free prilocaine combined with 2 mL or 8 mg of dexamethasone, totaling 6 mL

. Injections were administered under sedation and sterile conditions, with all patients positioned prone and monitored. A single physician performed all injections using an 18 gauge Tuohy needle, employing the loss of resistance technique and confirming the epidural space placement with 5 mL of nonionic contrast.

Change in Visual Analog Score after the procedure. The visual analog scale (VAS) of pain intensity consists of a line, most often 100 mm long, with 2 descriptors representing extremes of pain intensity (eg, no pain and extreme pain)at each end. The findings suggested that 100-mm VASratings of 0 to 4 mmcanbeconsidered nopain; 5 to 44mm,mildpain; 45 to 74mm, moderate pain; and 75 to 100 mm, severe pain.

Change The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) after the procedure:

ODI is an index used by clinicians and researchers to quantify disability for low back pain and quality of life. The self-completed questionnaire contains ten topics concerning intensity of pain, lifting, ability to care for oneself, ability to walk, ability to sit, sexual function, ability to stand, social life, sleep quality, and ability to travel. Each question is scored on a scale of 0-5 with the first statement being zero and indicating the least amount of disability and the last statement is scored 5 indicating most severe disability. The scores for all questions answered are summed, then multiplied by two to obtain the index (range 0 to 100). Zero is equated with no disability and 100 is the maximum disability possible. 0% -20%: Minimal disability;21%-40%: Moderate Disability;41%-60%: Severe Disability;61%-80%: Crippling back pain;81%-100%;The patient is either bed-bound or has an exaggeration of their symptoms.

Body mass index difference between groups