The Nonsurgical Management of Spinal Pain in the Elderly: NSAIDs, Opioids, and Epidural Steroid Injections

Spinal pain in the elderly is a significant social and economic problem in the United States that promises to take on more importance as the general population ages. Despite the widespread use of analgesics and interventional therapies to treat this problem, there is only a small but emerging body of evidence that specifically addresses the benefits and pitfalls of the use of these treatments in an elderly population. The following review will discuss the most common pharmacological and interventional therapies in use today, NSAIDs, opioids and epidural steroid injections.