The purpose of this paper is to evaluate lumbosacral radicular symptoms in more than 60 years old patients by nerve root infiltration. Radicular symptoms are classified into 3 groups: pain symptom, paralytic symptom and combined symptom group. In pain symptom group, main symptom is low back and/or leg pain. In paralytic symptom group, main symptom is numbness and/or muscle weakness in legs. In combined symptom group, symptom is combination of pain and paralytic symptom. According to manifestation of their symptoms, patients are also classified into 3 group: dynamic type, static type and combined type. Patients in dynamic type have no symptoms at rest but have radicular symptoms in walking. Patients in static type have radicular symptoms at rest and do not change their symptoms in walking. Patients in combined type have radicular symptoms at rest and increase their symptoms in walking.
The main results found in this study were as follows;
1) Dynamic type is common in patients with spondylosis, whereas static type is common in patients with lumbar disc herniation. Combinede type is common in patients with spondylolisthesis.
2) Although aged people seem to have various radicular symptoms, one involved nerve root in 75% of them can be localized by nerve root infiltration.
3) Nerve root infiltration is very effective to patients with dynamic type and pain symptom.
4) Neurologically, root tension sign is not severe. Sensory disturbance shows considerably the involved nerve root but deep tendon reflex is not diagnostic in aged people.