Lumbar facet joint pain

Summary

There is insufficient evidence from four randomized control trials to suggest that radiofrequency rhizotomy improves outcomes in adults with lumbar facet joint pain compared with sham treatment. There was conflicting evidence regarding disability, functional status, patient-reported pain, analgesic use, and clinician-defined success of treatment. There was a short-term (2 month) advantage to the rhizotomy group regarding one disability measure, but the advantage was not sustained past 3 months. Patients receiving the rhizotomy treatment reported greater improvement after treatment and satisfaction with the treatment. Some studies were limited by small sample sizes and inadequate follow-up time to observe any longer term improvement. Additional randomized studies with larger populations, repeated diagnostic blocks, longer follow-up, and standardized common outcomes are necessary to establish the efficacy of radiofrequency rhizotomy.