• Posted February 14, 2025

Do Steroid Shots Help Ease Back Pain? Experts Weigh In

There appears to be limited evidence supporting the use of epidural steroid injections for certain types of chronic lower back pain, new guidance from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) finds. 

Epidural steroid injections are treatments in which a steroid or corticosteroid medication is injected into the spine. 

In a systematic review published Feb. 12 in the journal Neurology, researchers explore whether there’s evidence for benefit. 

“Chronic back pain is common and can negatively impact a person’s quality of life, making it difficult to move, sleep and participate in daily activities,” lead author Dr. Carmel Armon of Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California said in a news release. 

“In our review, studies show epidural steroid injections may have limited efficacy," he added in a news release. "They may modestly reduce pain in some situations for up to three months and reduce disability for some people for up to six months or more.”

In all, the authors analyzed 90 studies done over 16 years that examined the use of epidural steroid injections in patients suffering pain caused either by a pinched nerve (radiculopathy) or a compressed spinal cord or nerves (spinal stenosis).

The studies only looked at treatment for these conditions in the lower back. There wasn’t enough research to analyze treatment of these conditions in the neck.  

Researchers found that epidural steroid injections may modestly reduce pain and disability in patients with a pinched nerve in the back.

Compared to patients who didn’t receive injections, 24% more of those who did get them reported less pain, and 16% more reported less disability for up to three months. And 11% more of those who got injections reported less disability for six months or more. 

In spinal stenosis, the injections appeared to reduce disability but not pain. Compared to those who didn’t receive injections, 26% more people who did reported less disability up to three months, and 12% more reported less disability for up to six months or more. 

No short-term reduction in pain was seen.

It’s unclear whether injections are effective for patients with pinched nerves or spinal stenosis in their necks. 

“Our review affirms the limited effectiveness of epidural steroid injections in the short term for some forms of chronic back pain,” study co-author Dr. Pushpa Narayanaswami of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston said in a news release. 

“We found no studies looking at whether repeated treatments are effective or examining the effect of treatment on daily living and returning to work. Future studies should address these gaps.”

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on lumbar epidural steroid injections.

SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology, news release, Feb. 12, 2025