Evaluation of the role of Facet Denervation for treatment of non-surgical low-back pain

Abstract

This work evaluates the role of facet joint denervation in the treatment of chronic low-back pain lasting for at least three months with or without thigh pain. . Low-back pain is one of the commonest symptoms in medicine. It may be local or referred. Local sources of pain arise from structures in the back, some of which are amenable to surgery e.g. lumbar disc prolapse, spondylolisthesis and fracture spine, while others are non-surgically treatable including facet joint arthropathy and tendon or muscle sprain. Referred causes of low back pain usually arise from structures in the pelvis e.g. diseases of the cervix of the uterus. As regards the non-surgicaliy treatable causes, different conservative modalities of treatment are available including bed rest, weight reduction, medications e.g. non-steroidal anti• inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants, physiotherapy, lumbar support and facet denervation.