The cervical facet joint and its capsule are a common source of neck pain from whiplash. Mechanical hyperalgesia elicited by painful facet joint distraction is associated with spinal neuronal hyperexcitability that can be induced by transmitter/receptor systems that potentiate the synaptic activation of neurons. This study investigated the temporal response of a glutamate receptor and transport...

OBJECTIVE To review the literature and assess the comparative effectiveness of ultrasound-guided (USG) versus computed tomography (CT)-/fluoroscopy-guided lumbar facet joint injections in adults. DATA SOURCES PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, EBSCO, and Web of Science. STUDY SELECTION Randomized or nonrandomized controlled trials comparing the clinical effectiveness between USG and CT-/flu...

Introduction: Spondylolisthesis is a common disorder in lumabar vertebras and consist of more than 30% of lumbar fusions are diagnosed. Degenerative spondylolisthesis is seen more in women at level L4-L5 however isthmic spondylolisthesis is seen in men at level L5-S1. MRI is used commonly as first paraclinic test for evaluation of patients with back pain with or without radiculoapthy. It is use...

Background: Low back pain has recently been reported as the leading cause for disability worldwide. The diagnostic value of imaging has been estimated low. Led by own positive experience, however, we hypothesized that MRI can detect signs of facet joint pain. Methods: 15 patients and 15 controls were retrospectively assessed by two readers. They compared deidentifi ed T2 weighted lumbar spine M...

BACKGROUND Superior-level facet joint violation by pedicle screws may result in increased stress to the level above the instrumentation and may contribute to adjacent segment disease. Previous studies have evaluated facet joint violations in open or percutaneous screw cases, but there are no reports describing a direct institutional comparison. OBJECTIVE To compare the incidence of superior-l...

DEGENERATIVE changes of the zygapophysial joints (facet joints) account for approximately 10–15% of the cases with chronic low back pain. Radiofrequency ablation of the medial branches of the dorsal rami is a frequently performed procedure to treat pain originating from the facet joints. The success of radiofrequency facet denervation is highly dependent on patient selection. Diagnostic blocks ...

BACKGROUND MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) might be a very safe and effective minimally invasive technique to treat facet joint pain caused by arthritis and other degenerative changes. However, there are still safety concerns for this treatment and challenges regarding MR imaging and temperature mapping due to susceptibility effects between the bone and soft tissue near the joint, which h...

BACKGROUND Chronic mid back and upper back pain caused by thoracic facet joints has been reported in 34% to 48% of patients based on responses to controlled diagnostic blocks. Systematic reviews have established moderate evidence for controlled comparative local anesthetic blocks of thoracic facet joints in the diagnosis of mid back and upper back pain, moderate evidence for therapeutic thoraci...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Lumbar facet joint syndrome is currently suggested to be a main source of axial low back pain, and a large portion of axial low back pain is caused by disorders in lumbar facet joints. Intra-articular injection is one of the most common treatment methods in the early clinical application. Therefore, we attempt to seek a new injectable material, autologous platelet rich...