Evaluation and comparison of the effectiveness of epidural injection and acupuncture in patients with failed back surgery syndrome referred to Baqiyatallah Clinic in 2021

This study aimed to assess and compare the efficacy of epidural injection with acupuncture in patients with lumbar surgical failure syndrome referred to the Baqiyatallah clinic in 2021. Fifty patients with FBSS sent to the Baqiyatallah Hospital clinic for lumbar spinal cord surgery were randomly divided into two groups: Acupuncture was used on the first group. Patients in the second group received epidural injections. One, and three months after, the pain was evaluated and documented using visual analog scale criteria, and quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. One month after, the rate of pain reduction was more significant in the epidural injection group than before the intervention, and pain intensity dropped significantly more than in the acupuncture group (P=0.014). The epidural injection group had a higher rate of pain reduction three months after the intervention than one month after. The pain intensity was lower than the acupuncture group. However, the difference was insignificant (P=0.711). Before surgery, there was no significant difference in the two groups' quality of life (P=0.607). 3 months after surgery, there was no significant difference between patients' quality in the two groups (P=0.157). Patients' quality of life 3 months after the intervention was statistically significant (P=0.001) in the epidural and acupuncture groups compared to before the intervention (P=0.001). Patients with FBSS benefit from epidural injections and acupuncture for pain reduction and improved quality of life.