Trial reportMedicine2017
Comparison of intra-articular lumbar facet joint pulsed radiofrequency and intra-articular lumbar facet joint corticosteroid injection for management of lumbar facet joint pain: A randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Current evidence on radiofrequency denervation for chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2026Pooled it
- Therapeutic effect of modified meridian-guided acupoint pressing on lumbar facet joint osteoarthritis: an integrated microbiomics and metabolomics analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- The effectiveness of fluoroscopically guided lumbar facet steroid joint injections: A systematic review.Interventional pain medicine · 2025Review
- Efficacy of pulsed radiofrequency stimulation in patients with chronic pain: a narrative review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Is radiofrequency ablation effective in treating patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2024Review
- Radiofrequency vs Steroid Injections for Spinal Facet and Sacroiliac Joint Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2024Review
- [Lumbar Facet Joint Injection: A Review of Efficacy and Safety].Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology · 2024Review
- Short-Term Outcomes of Intraarticular Corticosteroid Injection into the Lumbar Facet Joint According to the Findings of Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Imaging.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Interventional Minimally Invasive Treatments for Chronic Low Back Pain Caused by Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome: A Systematic Review.Global spine journal · 2023Article
- The American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN) Evidence-Based Clinical Guideline of Interventional Treatments for Low Back Pain.Journal of pain research · 2022Review
- Facet Joint Syndrome: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment.Journal of pain research · 2022Review
- Outcome of intra-articular lumbar facet joint corticosteroid injection according to the severity of facet joint arthritis.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2019Article
- Management of refractory chronic migraine using ultrasound-guided pulsed radiofrequency of greater occipital nerve: Two case reports.Medicine · 2018Article
- Effect of intradiscal pulsed radiofrequency on refractory chronic discogenic neck pain: A case report.Medicine · 2018Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study aimed to demonstrate the effect of intra-articular (IA) lumbar facet joint (LFJ) pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) for the management of LFJ pain, and to compare the effect of IA LFJ PRF to IA corticosteroid injection (ICI). Pathology in the LFJ is a common source of lower back pain (LBP). It is responsible for chronic LBP in approximately 15% to 45% of patients. It has been reported that PRF stimulation can effectively reduce refractory joint pain.
methodsSixty patients with LFJ pain were recruited and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: the IA PRF group and the ICI group. There were 30 patients in each group. At pretreatment, 2 weeks, 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment, we assessed the severity of LBP using a numeric rating scale (NRS).
resultsCompared with the pretreatment NRS scores, patients in both groups showed a significant decrease in NRS scores at 2 weeks, and 1, 3, and 6 months after each treatment. Between groups, changes in the NRS scores were significantly different over time. At 2 weeks and 1 month after each procedure, the NRS score after ICI was significantly lower than that after the PRF stimulation. However, at 3 and 6 months after the procedures, the decrements of NRS scores were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Six months after treatment, about half of patients in both groups reported successful pain relief (pain relief of ≥50%).
conclusionIn the current study, both IA PRF stimulation and ICI into the LFJ significantly relieved LFJ pain. Their effects persisted for at least 6 months after the procedure. Thus, IA PRF is a useful therapeutic option for the management of LFJ pain.
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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.