Intramuscular oxygen-ozone therapy in the treatment of acute back pain with lumbar disc herniation: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, clinical trial of active and simulated lumbar paravertebral injection

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter randomized, double-blind, simulated therapy-controlled trial in a cohort of patients with acute low back pain (LBP) due to lumbar disc herniation (LDH).

OBJECTIVE: To assess the benefit of intramuscular-paravertebral injections of an oxygen-ozone (O2O3) mixture.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Recent findings have shown that O2O3 therapy can be used to treat LDH that fails to respond to conservative management. However, these findings are based on intradiscal/intraforaminal O2O3 injection, whereas intramuscular-paravertebral injection is the technique used most in clinical practice in Italy and other Western countries.