Epidural corticosteroid injections provide limited, clinically unimportant relief of lumbosacral radicular pain, according to a new Cochrane review.

Researchers from Brazil analysed the efficacy and safety of epidural corticosteroid injections, compared with placebo injection, in an update of a review carried out eight years ago.

They looked at data on patients with lumbosacral radicular pain in 25 clinical trials that enrolled a total of 2470 participants, with study durations ranging from 12 hours to one year.

Based on moderate-quality evidence, epidural corticosteroid injections were probably slightly more effective than placebo in reducing leg pain at short-term follow-up, although the mean difference from placebo amounted to barely five points on a 0-100 scale.