Purpose: It is well known that high inter- and intra-patient variability observed in chronic pain, including osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Pain fluctuations over time may have an influence the response to treatments, particularly clinical trials. However, most interventional pain studies rely on reports from single points do not take consideration dynamic effects of daily variations treatment. ...

Lumbar sympathetic block is an analgesic procedure frequently performed in chronic pain clinics for ischemic lower limb pain from peripheral arterial disease. Although the lumbar sympathetic ganglia are anatomically near major vascular and neural structures, complications such as severe hemorrhage is rarely reported. Aspirin/extended release dipyridamole (Aggrenox) is indicated for secondary st...

Although discal cysts are a rare cause of low back pain and radiculopathy. Currently, surgical excision is usually the first-line treatment for discal cysts. However, alternative treatment methods have been suggested, as in some cases symptoms have improved with interventional therapies. A 27-year-old man presented with an acute onset of severe pain, and was found to have a discal cyst after an...

The management of pain continues to be one of the most vexing of problems for health practitioners worldwide. The pain response is difficult to manage for multiple reasons: responses vary widely in their mechanism of action as well as anatomic location; individual responses to pain are variable; secondary gains can be had by individuals falsely claiming to be in pain; cultural differences in de...

The interval for mental, physical and spiritual rejuvenation has officially ended as summer turns into fall. As usual, my colleagues and I begin another academic year with an energy and enthusiasm that should only follow a prolonged period of respite. Yet, this year is different. My focus is more precise than ever and my drive is turbo-charged. In my view, much remains to be accomplished as it ...

Chronic low back pain (LBP) places a tremendous economic burden on society due to both direct and indirect costs. Health care costs for adults with chronic LBP have steadily increased over the past 20 years, coinciding with a large increase in the utilization of spinal injections, surgical interventions, opioid medications, and physical therapy. The treatment of LBP is best approached by a mult...

conclusion lumbar medial branch nerve block under ultrasound guidance was associated with high rates of treatment success and excellent treatment outcomes for facet joint pain. it is also feasible and administers no radiation. thus, ultrasound-guided procedures can be used instead of conventional methods. results the success rate was 98% (87/89 blocks), which was due to our use of ultrasound gu...

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of facet joint pain in atients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) after surgical ntervention(s). Design: A prospective, nonrandomized, consecutive study. Setting: An ambulatory interventional pain management etting. Participants: The prevalence of facet joint pain was evaluted in patients with CLBP after various surgical intervenion(s) referred to an interve...