Trial reportInternational journal of medical sciences2010
Evaluation of lumbar facet joint nerve blocks in managing chronic low back pain: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial with a 2-year follow-up.
Trial report in International journal of medical sciences, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 48 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Randomized, Prospective, Double-Blind Controlled Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Lumbar Facet Joint Nerve Blocks
Comparative Evaluation of the Results of Facet Joint Injections Performed by Using Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound Guidance and Anatomic Location Administered to the Patients With Facet Syndrome
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 193 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of Steroid Facet Joint Injections for Axial Spinal Pain and Post Radiofrequency Ablation Neuritis: A Systematic Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2025Pooled it
- Multiple injections for low back pain: What's the future?European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2020Pooled it
- Radiofrequency neurotomy in chronic lumbar and sacroiliac joint pain: A meta-analysis.Medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Do Epidural Injections Provide Short- and Long-term Relief for Lumbar Disc Herniation? A Systematic Review.Clinical orthopaedics and related research · 2015Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Lumbar Facet Joint Blocks and Predictive Value before Radiofrequency Denervation: The Facet Treatment Study (FACTS), a Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial.Anesthesiology · 2018Trial
- Two-year follow-up results of fluoroscopic cervical epidural injections in chronic axial or discogenic neck pain: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.International journal of medical sciences · 2014Trial
- Assessment of effectiveness of percutaneous adhesiolysis in managing chronic low back pain secondary to lumbar central spinal canal stenosis.International journal of medical sciences · 2013Trial
- Fluoroscopic caudal epidural injections in managing post lumbar surgery syndrome: two-year results of a randomized, double-blind, active-control trial.International journal of medical sciences · 2012Trial
- Management of chronic pain of cervical disc herniation and radiculitis with fluoroscopic cervical interlaminar epidural injections.International journal of medical sciences · 2012Trial
- Psoas Compartment Block Versus Medial Branch Block for Low Back Pain: A Narrative Review of Anatomical Targets, Clinical Evidence, and Patient Selection.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Prolonged response following anesthetic-only medial branch blocks: A retrospective analysis of 410 consecutive procedures.Interventional pain medicine · 2026Article
- A mechanistic hypothesis: osteopathic manipulative therapy may modulate immune cell function in chronic low back pain.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Image-guided injections for facet joint pain: evidence-based Delphi conjoined consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology and European Society of Neuroradiology.European radiology · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of a Facet Joint Block Versus a Medial Branch Block in Spinal Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Neurospine · 2025Article
- Article
- Lumbar Facet Joint Disease: What, Why, and When?Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Letter to Editor: The Systematic Review of Interventional Minimally Invasive Treatments for Chronic Low Back Pain Caused by Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome Provided Inaccurate Information.Global spine journal · 2024Article
- Response to Letter to the Editor Regarding Interventional Minimally Invasive Treatments for Chronic Low Back Pain Caused by Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome: A Systematic Review by Ambrosio et al.Global spine journal · 2024Article
- Lumbar disc herniation: Epidemiology, clinical and radiologic diagnosis WFNS spine committee recommendations.World neurosurgery: X · 2024Review
- Interventional Minimally Invasive Treatments for Chronic Low Back Pain Caused by Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome: A Systematic Review.Global spine journal · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
designA randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.
objectiveTo determine the clinical effectiveness of therapeutic lumbar facet joint nerve blocks with or without steroids in managing chronic low back pain of facet joint origin. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Lumbar facet joints have been shown as the source of chronic pain in 21% to 41% of low back patients with an average prevalence of 31% utilizing controlled comparative local anesthetic blocks. Intraarticular injections, medial branch blocks, and radiofrequency neurotomy of lumbar facet joint nerves have been described in the alleviation of chronic low back pain of facet joint origin.
methodsThe study included 120 patients with 60 patients in each group with local anesthetic alone or local anesthetic and steroids. The inclusion criteria was based upon a positive response to diagnostic controlled, comparative local anesthetic lumbar facet joint blocks.Outcome measures included the numeric rating scale (NRS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), opioid intake, and work status, at baseline, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.
resultsSignificant improvement with significant pain relief of >or= 50% and functional improvement of >or= 40% were observed in 85% in Group 1, and 90% in Group II, at 2-year follow-up.The patients in the study experienced significant pain relief for 82 to 84 weeks of 104 weeks, requiring approximately 5 to 6 treatments with an average relief of 19 weeks per episode of treatment.
conclusionsTherapeutic lumbar facet joint nerve blocks, with or without steroids, may provide a management option for chronic function-limiting low back pain of facet joint origin.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.