The Role of Systemic Steroids in Sciatica Due to Herniated Lumbar Disc: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Abstract

Systematic review and meta-analysis. Evaluate the role of systemic steroids in treating patients with sciatica due to lumbar disc herniation (LDH). The association between LDH and sciatica has been well described. Use of steroids seems logical in this context; however, their efficacy is not well described and use remains controversial. A comprehensive search on PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus databases (up to 15, February 2022) was performed to identify randomized clinical trials that included patients with symptoms of sciatica due to LDH that were treated with systemic steroids. Risk of bias was judged using the Cochrane RoB2 tool. Meta-analysis was conducted using random effects model to estimate the between-group effect size for pain and functional outcomes. The risk of developing adverse events (AE) was computed using relative risks (RR). All pooled results are reported with their 95% confidence interval (CI) and certainty of evidence analyzed using the GRADE framework. Ten studies met inclusion criteria, comprising a total of 1,017 participants: 540 in the treatment group and 477 in the control group. Steroid treatment was associated with a significant superior reduction of pain (SMD = -0.42, 95% CI -0.76 to -0.08, weak effect, very-low certainty) and reduction in disability (SMD = -0.30, 95% CI -0.51 to -0.10, weak effect, very-low certainty). Corticosteroid administration was associated with significant increased risk of developing an AE (RR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.40 to 2.85, low certainty). The use of systemic steroids in the treatment of sciatica due to LDH seems reasonable despite a two-fold higher risk for developing mild AEs. However, the effect size is small for reducing pain in the short-term and improving functional outcomes at long-term follow-up.