Nuclear magnetic resonance therapy in lumbar disc herniation with lumbar radicular syndrome: effects of the intervention on pain intensity, health-related quality of life, disease-related disability, consumption of pain medication, duration of sick leave

108 patients with lumbar disc herniation and lumbar radicular syndrome were included in the study. Patients were randomized to receive therapeutic nuclear magnetic resonance (tNMR) or to receive a sham in addition to standard treatment. The trial was conducted in order to assess the efficacy of tNMR in improving pain, function, and overall quality of life in affected individuals. Active and sham tNMR were administered in 7 sessions over a 12-day span, and follow-up was conducted for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, the treatment failed to show benefit in the primary outcome of pain, as well as secondary outcomes of disease-related disability, general health-related quality of life, analgesic consumption, and MRI results of morphological parameters of the affect segment.