The clinic and electromyographic evaluation of ultrasound, phonophoresis and oral corticosteroid treatment in patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the medical and physical therapy methods by using the clinic and the electromyographic (EMG) findings in sixty patients randomly divided into three equal groups with lumbosacral radiculopathies (LSR). In the first group applied the ultrasound therapy (US) and in the third group applied the hydrocortisone phonophoresis, there were significant improvements in the pain (p<0.001) and the spinal findings (p<0.05), but no neurologic and EMG findings (p >0.05). In the second group applied the US and oral corticosteroid therapy, there were significant improvements in the EMG findings (p<0.01) and in all clinic parameters (p<0.01) excluded reflex impairment (p >0.05). In the comparison of the first group with third group, there was no statistically significant difference in the clinic and EMG findings (p >0.05). There was significant differences from the point of view the improvement of EMG findings (p<0.01) and the neurologic findings (p<0.05) excluded reflex impairment (p >0.05) in the second group compared with the first and third group. As a result we determined that in LSR, the addition of oral corticosteroid therapy to US contributes the clinic and electromyographic improvement, but the corticosteroid phonophoresis has not such an effect.