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Drugs and Side Effects

Sciatica - Just say no to steroids

The sciatica sufferer usually starts with painkillers and physiotherapy and eventually gets to the last-chance option before surgery - an epidural injection of corticosteroids.

What’s not news for those who’ve already had the shots is that they’re useless, as researchers have finally discovered.

In a recent study, 228 patients, who had suffered from sciatica for up to 18 months, were given either a lumbar epidural of corticosteroids or saline. After six weeks, there was no difference between the two groups and, after a year, a third of patients in both groups reported a 75-per-cent improvement in their condition.

So, a powerful drug was no better than a placebo.

But here’s another way of looking at it: a placebo is just as effective as a powerful drug, so if you think something will make you better, it probably will (Rheumatology, 2005; 44: 1399-406).

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Join the What Doctors Don't Tell You community now - and be informed for when it really matters

Sciatica - Just say no to steroids

Join the What Doctors Don't Tell You community now -
and be informed for when it really matters