Trends Over Time in the Use, Carbon Footprint and Costs of Facet Joint Injections and Medial Branch Blocks to Manage Lumbar Pain in England: Retrospective Analysis of an Administrative Dataset.

ABSTRACT:

Study design

Retrospective analysis of an administrative dataset.

Objective

This study aims to investigate changing practice over a six-year period in the use of repeated lumbar facet joint injections/medial branch blocks in England.

Methods

Patient data were extracted from the Hospital Episodes Statistics database for the period 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2021 for the index lumbar injection and for repeat lumbar injections performed within one year of the first. The exposure of interest was two injections within 180 days or three within one year. Patients aged <17 years and where the body site was listed as cervical, thoracic or sacral were excluded.

Results

Data were available for 134,249 patients of which, 8,922 (6.6%) had either two injections within 180 

SUBMITTER: Ojelade E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11877472 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature