Meta-Analysishigh evidence
The Therapeutic Effect of Saline in Lumbar Injection Trials: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
JBJS reviews·August 1, 2026·PMID 42636319
Why it mattersSaline placebo arms in lumbar injection trials show clinically meaningful improvements, especially for radiculopathy, which can inflate baseline response and mask true treatment effects. This challenges the assumption that saline is inert and has direct implications for interpreting existing evidence and designing future interventional pain trials.
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