Authors : Jithin Raj P, Kabeer K A, Shaji CV
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijn.2019.037
Volume : 5
Issue : 4
Year : 2019
Page No : 225-231
Introduction: There are many causes for low back ache. One of these causes is lumbosacral radiculopathy.
Here the pain is usually a low back ache which is radiating in the distribution of the corresponding root.
The sensory symptoms will be in a dermatomal distribution and the motor weakness will be in a myotomal
distribution. The main electrophysiological parameters which can be used are tibial H reflex , tibial and
peroneal F waves and EMG. The treatment options are conservative management with drugs and exercise,
invasive procedures like epidural steroid injection and surgical interventions.
Objectives: To find out the percentage of people with lumbosacral radiculopathy getting improvement
in their pain symptom , disability status and electrophysiological parameters with the conservative
management in a follow up period of 6 months.
Material and Methods: Study design: It is a prospective experimental (interventional) study with pre/post
design
Study population: Patients with age between 18yrs and 80 years with radicular pain from the lower back
in the lumbosacral distribution
Sample size: 76
Sampling procedure: Random sampling of patients fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria
Study procedure: Direct examination, history with nerve conduction and EMG studies and questionnaire
with follow up at the end of 3and 6 months
Analysis: Data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS software V 25. Disability score, compound
muscle action potential score and f waves were assessed and compared using paired t test. A p value <0>
was taken as the threshold for statistical significance.
Results: Considering the pain, 78.9% of the patients got improvement at the end of 3 months and 65.8%
of the patients got improvement at the end of 6 months, with the conservative management. Considering
the disability, 100% of the patients got improvement at the end of 3 months and 98.7% of the patients got
improvement at the end of 6 months. The proportion of the patients who got improvement in the Tibial
F wave latency with the application of conservative management was 44.7% at the end of 3 months and
48.7% at the end of 6 months. The proportion of the patients who got improvement in the Peroneal F wave
latency with the application of conservative management was 52.6% at the end of 3 months and 51.3% at
the end of 6 months. The proportion of the patients who got improvement in the H reflex latency with the
application of conservative management was 51.3% at the end of 3 months and 48.
Keywords: Lumbosacral radiculopathy, F wave, H reflex, Conservative Management.