[ Music ]
>> The JAMA Network.
>> Catherine Dolf: Every day, thousands of
people head to their doctor's office looking
for relief from a very common problem.
>> And so if you have any discomfort you tell
me.
>> Catherine Dolf: It's called sciatica.
>> Acute sciatica is often disabling, extremely
painful condition felt on the leg.
It's usually caused by a ruptured disc in
the lumbar area.
>> We've begun looking at what are other ways
to decrease the pain and improve the function
more easily for patients with sciatica.
>> Catherine Dolf: There are limited options
for treating this painful condition.
One of the most common approaches is to prescribe
the oral steroid medication called prednisone.
>> But it's never been studied to see if,
in fact, it makes a difference.
>> Catherine Dolf: Doctors Harley Goldberg
and Andrew Avins from Kaiser Permanente Northern
California and coauthors, studied 269 patients
with sciatica.
All patients underwent an MRI to confirm that
they had a herniated disc.
Two thirds were given oral prednisone and
the other third got a placebo.
Patients were assessed for pain and overall
function after three weeks and again at one
year.
>> People got no better with the prednisone
than they did with the placebo.
That is to say, they both got better equally.
There was actually a little bit of improved
functional capacity for people that took prednisone.
>> Catherine Dolf: The study appears in JAMA,
Journal of the American Medical Association.
>> We also found that patients who took steroids
had more side effects than patients who took
the placebo.
But most of those side effects were fairly
mild and transient in nature.
>> Catherine Dolf: The authors say these results
provide important evidence about the relative
risks and benefits of steroid therapy.
>> We now have guidance.
We have information.
And we can provide for our patients true,
meaningful, and informed discussions about
the relative benefits and risks of this kind
of therapy for this kind of condition.
>> Catherine Dolf: The JAMA Report
[ Music ]
