Degenerative disease of the lumbar spine refers to a syndrome in which an intervertebral disc with adjacent spine structures is compromised, this can be due to aging process associated with pathology. Thirty five percent of asymptomatic individuals may have degenerative spine findings, including: disc degeneration, modic changes, disc bulges, facet joint arthropathy and spinal stenosis. Plain r...

A 54-year-old female patient had a 6-year history of backache and left sciatica. Five years earlier, she had undergone surgery in another hospital for left L4-5 disc herniation. Computed tomography revealed the ossified wall that enclosed the left L5 nerve root. There were also osteophytic changes in the left L5-S zygapophyseal joint. These osteophytes developed rostrally, along the left L5 ner...

The literature describes the presence of intra-articular structures in the zygapophyseal (facet) joint (Bogduk & Engel 1984, Bogduk 1997). The largest of these structures is attached via synovium to the inner surface of the superior and inferior capsules. They project up to 5mm into the joint space. The apex of these structures is wedge-shaped and consists of densely packed collagen. Their func...

Thoracic posterior joints are putative pain generators; yet there is a paucity of information to assist the clinician in the diagnosis and treatment of dorsal spine pain. A safe and effective bent needle injection/arthrography technique is described which can assist in the diagnosis of some patients with thoracic zygapophyseal joint dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of ultrasound as a guiding tool for simulated cervical facet joint injections in cadavers. METHODS: A total of 40 ultrasound examinations at 5 levels (C6-7 to C2-3) were performed on 4 embalmed cadavers. The zygapophyseal joints were located with ultrasound. First, the transverse processes of C6 and C7 were established and the fa...

conclusions a new approach to treat lumbar facet joint pain with prf is simple to perform and without serious complications. in view of the good long-lasting results obtained with the two reported cases, randomized control trials are necessary to validate this new approach. case presentation a 71-year-old patient presented because of persisting pain in the left gluteal region radiating to the l...

BACKGROUND In spite of the widespread performance of intra-articular zygapophyseal joint (IAZJ) injections, we know of no systematic analysis to date that examines the risks and types of adverse events when IAZJ injections are performed. OBJECTIVE To describe the type, incidence, and factors contributing to adverse events associated with fluoroscopically guided IAZJ injections. STUDY DESIGN...