The precise cause of low back pain based on clinical history, physical examination, radiological imaging, and electrophysiological testing can be identified in only 15% of patients in the absence of disc herniation and neurological deficit. The prevalence of chronic lumbar zygapophysial (facet) joint pain ranges from 15% to 45% utilizing comparative local anesthetic blocks in controlled setting...

Treating chronic musculoskeletal pain, and chronic joint pain (osteoarthritis (OA)) in particular, is challenging as the peripheral and central pain mechanisms are not fully discovered, and safe and as efficient analgesic drugs are not available. In general, the preclinical models of OA are limited to provide fundamental understanding of the pain mechanisms involved in patients with chronic joi...

BACKGROUND Spinal zygapophysial, or facet, joints are a source of axial spinal pain and referred pain in the extremities. Conventional clinical features and other noninvasive diagnostic modalities are unreliable in diagnosing zygapophysial joint pain. STUDY DESIGN A systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of spinal facet joint nerve blocks. OBJECTIVE To determine the diagnostic accurac...

Thoracic back pain caused by osteoarthritis of a single costovertebral joint is a poorly recognised condition. We report a series of five patients who were successfully treated by resection arthroplasty of this joint. Each had received a preliminary image-guided injection of local anaesthetic and steroid into the joint to confirm it as the source of pain. The surgical technique is described. Th...

This study used 'think aloud' to explore issues around using a standardised questionnaire to assess persistent pain after joint replacement. Twenty participants with moderate-extreme persistent pain in their replaced hip or knee completed the Chronic Pain Grade (CPG) while 'thinking aloud'. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Completion of the C...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of persistent low back pain with the involvement of lumbar facet or zygapophysial joints has been described in controlled studies as varying from 15% to 45% based on the criteria of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Therapeutic interventions utilized in managing chronic low back pain of facet joint origin include intraarticular injections, medial bra...

Background. Low back pain is one of the ten most common causes of disability, and sacroiliac joint dysfunction is one of the most common causes of it. Objectives. This study aimed to find if there is any association between hip adductor tightness with sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Methods. Sixty people who had attended our Sports Medicine Clinic took part in this study (30 in each group). The...

A 53-year old man presented with chronic left shoulder pain, unresponsive to anti-inflammatory treatment. There was no history of injury or chronic overuse. Radiography showed degenerative changes of the acromioclavicular joint, an acromion type 1, and the presence of coracoclavicular joint. CT scan confirmed the presence of a joint between the clavicle and the coracoid process with degenerativ...