Early Trochanteric Pain Relief With Corticosteroids

Compared to usual care, corticosteroid treatment provides early pain relief at three months

THURSDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), pain relief can be achieved earlier by corticosteroid injections than usual care, according to a study published in the May/June issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.

Aaltien Brinks, M.D., from the University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of corticosteroid injections in primary care patients with GTPS. A total of 120 participants, aged 18 to 80 years, were randomly assigned on a one-to-one ratio to receive either local corticosteroid injections or usual care. Pain severity and recovery were evaluated at three- and 12-month follow-up visits, and adverse events were noted at six weeks.

The investigators found that 34 percent of patients receiving usual care, and 55 percent receiving injections, recovered at three months (adjusted odds ratio, 2.38), while 60 and 61 percent, respectively, recovered at 12 months. At three months, pain severity at rest and on activity decreased in both groups, but the reduction was greater in the injection group, with an adjusted difference in pain at rest of 1.18 and in pain on activity of 1.30. At the 12-month follow-up, there was no significant difference in the decrease of pain severity at rest or on activity in either group. Apart from the short-duration superficial pain at the injection site, there were no differences in adverse events between the groups.

"The application of corticosteroid injections made no difference in the long-term resolution of pain, but the injection gave patients early relief," the authors write.

Abstract
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