Turkish Journal of
GERIATRICS

Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pain Management Section, Ä°stanbul, Turkiye DOI : 10.29400/tjgeri.2026.495 Introduction: Epidural steroid injections are often preferred in elderly patients with low back pain. The present study aimed to determine the types of injections applied to elderly patients, evaluate the choice of procedure type according to diagnosis, and assess the effectiveness of pain control. Materials and Method: Patients who underwent lumbar epidural steroid injections between January 2024 and January 2026 were retrospectively evaluated. The patient?s age, gender, body mass index, numeric rating scale, diagnosis, type of procedure, procedure time, and radiation dose were evaluated. The study also investigated which type of procedure was preferred in patients based on their diagnoses. Results: The study included 243 elderly patients and a control group of 581 patients aged 18-65. No significant differences were found between elderly and adult patients in terms of gender, body mass index, or numeric rating scale scores. It was found that the number of caudal and interlaminar approach was significantly higher in the elderly. Also, it was found that the transforaminal approach was preferred in disc herniation patients, interlaminar approach in spinal stenosis, and the caudal approach in the failed back surgery group. Furthermore, radiation dose and procedure times were significantly lower in the control group. Conclusions: In elderly patients, interlaminar epidural steroid injections and caudal epidural steroid injections are performed more frequently than in adult patients; the choice of epidural steroid injection approach varies according to diagnosis and is associated with longer procedure times and higher radiation exposure. Keywords : Back Pain; Aged; Injections, Epidural; Pain Management