Comparing the Therapeutic Effect of Local Corticosteroid Injections and Laser in Treating Coccyx Pains (Sacrum)

Mehdi moghtadaei^1*, Ali Yeganeh¹, Roozbeh Taghavi², Mani Mahmoudi², Mahzad  Saidifard³, Samane Shahverdi⁴

¹Associate professor of Orthopaedics, Bone and Joint Reconstruction Research Center,Shafa orthopaedic Hospital,Iran University of Medical Sciences,Tehran,Iran ²Resident of orthopaedics,Bone And Joint Reconstruction Research Center,Shafa Hospital,Iran University of Medical Science,Tehran,Iran ³Anesthesiology resident, Bone And Joint Reconstruction Research Center,Shafa Hospital,Iran University of Medical Science,Tehran,Iran ⁴Medical student,Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran , Iran *Corresponding author Email : mmoghtadaei@gmail.com  

Abstract: Coccydynia (pain in the coccyx or tailbone) is a fairly common pain in the bottom of backbone that spreads towards sacrum and lower legs. Supportive treatments, such as corticosteroids, use of muscle relaxants and correction of body position can help relieve the pain. In recent years, the use of laser is introduced as an effective method to reduce backbone pain. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of corticosteroids and laser in treating tailbone pains. 61 patients with tailbone pain referred to the orthopedic clinic of Rasul Akram Hospital were entered into the study and randomly divided into two groups of laser and local corticosteroid injection.  The mean difference in pain score was compared in both groups at the beginning of the study, end of the second week and end of the second month to determine the response to treatment. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Of the patients enrolled, 24 were males (37.6%) and 37 were females. The mean age of subjects studied was 36.16 years old. The mean difference in pain scores at the beginning of the study and at the end of the second month in the group treated by laser and corticosteroid was 2.54 and 3.8, respectively, that this difference was also statistically significant (P: 0.019) Effect of corticosteroid injection for pain relief was better than laser. The study should be done in a longer timeframe.

Keywords: corticosteroids; laser; tailbone; pain

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