ArticlePain and therapy2020
Pulsed Radiofrequency for Lumbar Facet Joint Pain: A Viable Therapeutic Option? A Retrospective Observational Study.
Article in Pain and therapy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 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
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for Meralgia Paresthetica: A Description of a Novel Technique.Advances in therapy · 2025Article
- Efficacy of pulsed radiofrequency stimulation in patients with chronic pain: a narrative review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Comparison of the Efficacy of Different Radiofrequency Techniques for the Treatment of Lumbar Facet Joint Pain: Combined with Anatomy.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Review
- Image-Guided Minimally Invasive Treatment Options for Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease: A Practical Overview of Current Possibilities.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Observational
- Pulsed Radiofrequency and Platelet Rich Plasma in Degenerative Joint Arthritis: Two Case Reports and Literature Analyses.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- A comparison of pulsed radiofrequency and radiofrequency denervation for lumbar facet joint pain.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2023Article
- Lumbar Facet Syndrome and the Use of Radiofrequency Ablation Technique as an Alternative Therapy: A Systematic Review.Revista brasileira de ortopedia · 2023Article
- Article
- Facet Joint Syndrome: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment.Journal of pain research · 2022Review
- Clinical Outcome of Pulsed-Radiofrequency Combined With Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection for Lumbosacral Radicular Pain Caused by Distinct Etiology.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionLow back pain (LBP) is a common problem, and facet joint pain is responsible for 15-45% of cases. Treatment is multidisciplinary, and when conservative measures are not sufficient, radiofrequency (RF) is often used. It allows the interruption of nociceptive input, producing a heat lesion in a continuous or pulsed mode.
methodsMedical records of 60 patients who underwent pulsed RF denervation were examined. The standard procedure provided follow-up of pain intensity. Numerical rating scale (NRS) and Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions (DN4) were recorded before treatment, and 15 and 40 days, and 6 months after treatment. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and patient satisfaction were also recorded. Successful treatment was defined as more than a 50% reduction in the NRS scores at 6 months compared with pretreatment scores.
resultsScores on the NRS and DN4 were statistically different over time (p < 0.05). Scores at 6 months were significantly decreased when compared with pretreatment scores (p < 0.05). ODI scores decreased during the follow-up period. No adverse effect was recorded and 57 patients (97%) reported successful pain relief.
conclusionsContinuous RF is the gold standard in the management of lumbar facet joint pain. Pulsed RF is a promising technique: patients with chronic LBP who had not responded to conservative care tended to improve after pulsed RF. The procedure was well tolerated in the absence of contraindications, and reliable if the nerve endings regrew.
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.