Objective
To evaluate the therapeutic effect of local steroid injection and prolotherapy on the iliac crest pain syndrome (ICPS) in patients with nonspecific low back pain. Method: 44 patients with ICPS were chosen randomly. The treatment groups were divided into two. The first group received a mixture of triamcinolone and lidocaine. The second received with a mixture of dextrose and lidocaine. The patients in each group were injected once a week over 4 weeks. The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated by a visual analogue scale (VAS), a pressure threshold and patient's life activities with modified Oswestry questionnaire before injection, 30 minutes, 1 week, 4 weeks and 3 months later after injection respectively. Results: VAS, pressure threshold and patient's life activities of two groups were all improved at 30 minutes, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after injection compared with those of pre-injection, and there was no significant difference between groups. Conclusion: The low back pain on ICPS can be significantly improved by local steroid injection and prolotherapy equally. Therefore, patients with risk of steroid injection could be treated by prolotherapy. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2007; 31: 20-24)