Abstract
Two hundred thirty six patients whose low back pain (LBP) and/or buttock pain (BP) was evaluated by using a diagnostic block such as nerve root block, facet block, iliosacral joint block and lumbar sympathetic block, were assessed. 1) In the patients with leg pain, 65% of LBP and 82% of BP were improved after nerve root block. 2) In following patients without leg pain, 22% of LBP and 80% of BP were improved after nerve root block. LBP and/or BP showing improvement after nerve root block was considered segmental LBP and/or BP. 3) However, LBP and/or BP that did not respond to nerve root block was considered non-radicular LBP and/or BP. 40% of non-radicular LBP were improved by L2 nerve root block or lumbar sympathetic block. These cases of LBP were considered non-segmental LBP. In conclusion, lumbar sympathetic block is one of the useful diagnostic and therapeutic method for non-segmental LBP because 40% of LBP seems to be non-segmental LBP.
