Steroid vs. Platelet-Rich Plasma in Fluoroscopy-Guided Sacroiliac Joint Injection for Chronic Low Back Pain

Ali, Mohamed Nageeb Abdeltwab; Nazim, Wael Mohamed; Ahmed, Maged Ahmed Hamed; Mohamed, Mohamed Saad Abd El-Aziz

doi:10.21608/ejmr.2024.262441.1527

	Steroid vs. Platelet-Rich Plasma in Fluoroscopy-Guided Sacroiliac Joint Injection for Chronic Low Back Pain
Egyptian Journal of Medical Research
Volume 6, Issue 3, July 2025, Pages 132-141 PDF (217.35 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/ejmr.2024.262441.1527
Authors
Mohamed Nageeb Abdeltwab Ali^* ; Wael Mohamed Nazim; Maged Ahmed Hamed Ahmed; Mohamed Saad Abd El-Aziz Mohamed
Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine – Beni-Suef University
Abstract
Background: ache below the L5 vertebra in the lower back is frequently caused by the sacroiliac joint (SIJ), which is implicated in up to 27% of such cases. However, treating SIJ pain is a significant therapeutic challenge. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a blood-derived product that can be applied to tissues and release growth factors, accelerating the body's natural healing response. Aim and objectives: To compare the efficacy of intra-articular injection of steroid and platelet rich plasma PRP in treatment of sacroiliac joint pain. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between steroid and PRP groups regarding VAS scores after one week and after 3 months (p-values= 0.009 and 0.039 respectively). The short-term effect of steroid was significantly better than PRP, but the long-term effect of PRP was significantly better than steroid. Steroid had faster improvement with 55.2% improvement after one week of injection compared to 46.4% in case of PRP injection (p-value= 0.009). As regards the long term effect, PRP had better improvement after 3 months with 42.9% compared to only 24.4% after steroid injection (p-value=0.039). Conclusion: The short-term effect of steroid was significantly better than PRP after week, but the long-term effect of PRP was significantly better than steroid after three months.
Keywords
Steroids; Platelet-Rich Plasma; Sacroiliac Joint Injection; Chronic Low Back Pain

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