[Back pain after epidural anesthesia].

A 24-year-old female patient underwent a minor orthopaedic procedure under epidural anaesthesia. She had a past history of lumbar backache. The epidural anaesthetic was carried out with the patient sitting. However, she had an acute vagal reaction, with loss of consciousness and forward headfall. Thirty-six hours later, the patient complained of severe pains diffusing all over her vertebral column, together with sciatica and paravertebral muscle contraction which did not respond to drug treatment. An epidural abscess or haematoma was ruled out. The pain finally disappeared after a few days of wearing a cervical collar, taking anti-inflammatory drugs, and a few vertebral manipulations. The back pain was probably due to a posterior articular joint syndrome, worsened by the forward headfall. In view of the past history, an epidural anaesthetic should probably have been best avoided.