Determining the Most Suitable Ultrasound-Guided Injection Technique in Treating Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Lower back pain is a prevalent condition in the elderly, frequently linked to lumbar facet joint syndrome.
• This study addresses the need for effective and accessible treatments for this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of three ultrasound-guided injection techniques for lumbar facet joint syndrome in elderly patients.
• To assess the procedural difficulty associated with each injection method.

Main Methods:

• Sixty elderly patients with facet joint syndrome-induced lower back pain were randomized into three groups.
• Group 1: Medial branch block (MBB). Group 2: Intra-articular facet joint injection. Group 3: Multifidus muscle injection.
• All injections utilized 5% dextrose water (D5W) as the injectant, with pain assessed via the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

Main Results:

• Pre-treatment VAS scores averaged 7.5, significantly decreasing to approximately 1 post-treatment across all groups.
• No significant statistical differences in pain reduction were observed between the three injection methods.
• These findings indicate comparable efficacy for MBB, intra-articular injections, and multifidus muscle injections.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasound-guided multifidus muscle injection is a potentially viable treatment for elderly lower back pain stemming from facet joint syndrome.
• This method may offer an advantage due to its perceived ease of performance compared to MBB and intra-articular injections.