title: Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection for Painful Spasticity in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report.
abstract: We report a case of a 53-year-old male with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). He could not maintain a standing position because of painful spasticity in his lower limbs. A magnetic resonance imaging and electromyography indicated chronic lumbosacral radiculopathy, explaining his chronic low back pain before the injury. For diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes, transforaminal epidural steroid injection (ESI) to the right L5 root was performed. After the intervention, the spasticity decreased and his ambulatory function improved. This case illustrates that lumbar radiculopathy concomitant with a cervical SCI can produce severe spasticity and it can be dramatically improved by ESI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Won
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Moon Suk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Keewon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Muscle spasticity; Radiculopathy; Spinal cord injuries