IN-HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT OF COMMON LUMBOSCIATIC SYNDROME - AN OPINION SURVEY AMONG FRENCH RHEUMATOLOGISTS

To determine which treatments are most commonly offered to patients yo unger than 70 years of age admitted for uncomplicated lumbosciatica su ggestive of disk herniation, we sent a 43-item questionnaire to 106 rh eumatology departments in France. The questionnaire collected informat ion on hospital stay duration, modalities of rest, drug treatments, lo cal glucocorticoid injections, physical treatments, sick leave duratio n and advice given to the patients. The response rate was 77% (84 ques tionnaires). Substantial variations were found across departments. Hos pital stay duration ranged from five to 20 days and nonsteroidal antii nflammatory drug treatment duration from five to 30 days. Local glucoc orticoid therapy was given as one to four injections at intervals of t wo to seven days. Spinal traction was used in 38% and a corset in 50% of study centers. Neither was there any consensus regarding immediate or delayed physiotherapy. Most respondents recommended bedrest for no longer than 15 days, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, a level I o r II analgesic, local glucocorticoid injections and, in the event of p ersistent pain at the end of the hospital stay, a lumbar corset.