A metaanalysis of the effectiveness and safety of ozone treatments for herniated lumbar discs
Steppan J, Meaders T, Muto M, Murphy KJ. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, 2010.
- Study type
- Systematic review / meta-analysis
- People studied
- Total not recorded
- Population
- Almost 8,000 patients from multiple centers, aged 13 to 94 years with all types of disc herniation, treated with oxygen/ozone in 12 studies
- Published
- 2010, Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology
- Identifiers
- PMID 20188591, DOI 10.1016/j.jvir.2009.12.393
What the authors reported
The likelihood of complications was 0.064% in random-effects meta-analyses of 12 studies of oxygen/ozone covering almost 8,000 patients. The mean improvement was 3.9 on the visual analog scale and 25.7 on the Oswestry Disability Index, and the likelihood of improvement on the modified MacNab scale was 79.7%. The authors conclude that pain and function outcomes are similar to surgical discectomy.
What limits this result
Read from the abstract only. The pooled figures describe ozone-treated patients, and the abstract reports no pooled comparison with a control group. The 12 studies were weighted by a study quality score; the abstract does not say how many were randomized or how complications were defined and recorded.
Harms reported after ozone therapy, and studies of how ozone exposure affects health. One study rarely settles a medical question; our guides weigh each paper against the rest of the evidence.
How the study was done
- Design
- Random-effects meta-analyses of oxygen/ozone treatment of herniated discs
- Setting
- ActiveO, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (the only affiliation the PubMed record lists)
- Read from
- Read from the abstract only; where this page says nothing about an item, the abstract does not report it. Read on October 2, 2026.
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Study arms
| Group | Participants | What they received |
|---|---|---|
| Patients treated with oxygen/ozone, pooled | Not reported | Oxygen/ozone treatment of herniated discs, results for almost 8,000 patients from multiple centers |
Source: Abstract on PubMed
What it measured
- Studies included
- Twelve studies
- Mean improvement on the visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)
- 3.9 for VAS and 25.7 for ODI
- Likelihood of improvement on the modified MacNab scale
- 79.7%
- VAS and ODI means against clinical thresholds
- Well above the minimum clinically important difference and the minimum (significant) detectable change
- Likelihood of complications
- 0.064%
- Ages and disc herniations included
- Patients aged 13 to 94 years with all types of disc herniations
- Authors' comparison with surgical discectomy
- Pain and function outcomes similar; complication rate much lower (<0.1%) and recovery time significantly shorter
- Authors' overall conclusion
- Oxygen/ozone treatment of herniated discs is an effective and extremely safe procedure
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Safety as reported
Pooled likelihood of complications of 0.064%
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Funding and conflicts
PubMed indexes the paper as research support from a non-U.S. government source; it names no funder and holds no conflict statement
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Where we cite this study
Does EBO2 (EBOO) Work? The Evidence, Study by Study
Every study in our EBO2 (EBOO) library in one place: design, size, what was measured and found, its limits, and a check for any study a clinic cites.
Ozone Therapy Adverse Events by Route: What Case Reports Show, and Where EBO2 (EBOO) Fits
Every ozone therapy adverse event we could read in case reports and series, grouped by route, plus how to search FDA's MAUDE data and report to MedWatch.