scholarly journals Paravertebral injections: techniques and indications

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Baeza Noci

The paravertebral injections were first referred in 1989 by Dr. Cesare Verga [1], an italian orthopedist. He used them to treat disc herniation. We call them “classical paravertebral injections”. Later on, one colleague of him, Dr. Scuccimarra [2], used longer needles to inject ozone close to the foramen, under the hypothesis of improving the results, and he succeeded. They are known as “deep paravertebral injections”. Other techniques have been developed in order to improve the results, reduce the risks and shorten the treatment.[3-9] The classical paravertebral approach is done locating the upper part of the spinous process of the superior vertebrae involved in the disco-radicular conflict and injecting 2,5 cm to the left and right of the spinous process with a 0,8 x 40 mm needle an amount of 5-10 mL per point depending on the size of the patient. Some authors(63) have proved that using lower ozone concentration (10 µg/mL) can be as useful as standard concentration (20 µg/mL). Our advice is to use a 0,4 x 40 mm needle or thinner if available. Local, topic anesthesia or cryotherapy can be used to reduce the pain of the needle. Injection should be done slowly. Using local anesthesia in the muscle can reduce the effect of ozone injection. The “deep paravertebral injection” uses a similar procedure, but the distance from the middle line is narrower (1,5 cm for cervical and dorsal injection and 2 cm for lumbar injection) and it is necessary using longer needles (0,4 or 0,5 x 90 mm spinal needle) to be able to locate the posterior joints with the tip of the needle an inject periarticularly. The amount of ozone used is the same. It is also possible to inject over the laminae, close to the foramen, instead of around the facet joints, but risk of accidental dura or radicular puncture is greater (although without permanent side effects); this can be done for nerve root de-inflammation. Dr Verga modified his technique for cervical and dorsal disc herniation, narrowing the distance from the spinous process to 1,5 cm left and right, using shorter needles (25 or 30 mm) and decreasing the ozone volume per point to 3-7 mL. Dorsal approach uses the same technique as for cervical paravertebral injections. The classical paravertebral injection produce a relaxation in the muscle spam of the lumbar spine in low back pain. The deep paravertebral injection produce an anti-inflammatory effect that can reduce inflammation on the facet joint or nerve root, depending on the point of injection. Based on this empirical approach, and the publications that have already used them , the indications of these injections are: -Disc herniation [1-2] -Spondylolysis [10] -Spondylosis [11-14] -Lumbar spinal stenosis [7, 15] -Symptomatic treatment of facet joint disease [7] -Mechanical low back pain These injections may have side effects due to the technique itself, not the ozone, but we have few reports on anecdotal cases, most of them without aftermath.

2009 ◽  
Vol 4;12 (4;7) ◽  
pp. E225-E264
Author(s):  
Laxmaiah Manchikanti

Interventional pain management, and the interventional techniques which are an integral part of that specialty, are subject to widely varying definitions and practices. How interventional techniques are applied by various specialties is highly variable, even for the most common procedures and conditions. At the same time, many payors, publications, and guidelines are showing increasing interest in the performance and costs of interventional techniques. There is a lack of consensus among interventional pain management specialists with regards to how to diagnose and manage spinal pain and the type and frequency of spinal interventional techniques which should be utilized to treat spinal pain. Therefore, an algorithmic approach is proposed, providing a stepby-step procedure for managing chronic spinal pain patients based upon evidence-based guidelines. The algorithmic approach is developed based on the best available evidence regarding the epidemiology of various identifiable sources of chronic spinal pain. Such an approach to spinal pain includes an appropriate history, examination, and medical decision making in the management of low back pain, neck pain and thoracic pain. This algorithm also provides diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to clinical management utilizing case examples of cervical, lumbar, and thoracic spinal pain. An algorithm for investigating chronic low back pain without disc herniation commences with a clinical question, examination and imaging findings. If there is evidence of radiculitis, spinal stenosis, or other demonstrable causes resulting in radiculitis, one may proceed with diagnostic or therapeutic epidural injections. In the algorithmic approach, facet joints are entertained first in the algorithm because of their commonality as a source of chronic low back pain followed by sacroiliac joint blocks if indicated and provocation discography as the last step. Based on the literature, in the United States, in patients without disc herniation, lumbar facet joints account for 30% of the cases of chronic low back pain, sacroiliac joints account for less than 10% of these cases, and discogenic pain accounts for 25% of the patients. The management algorithm for lumbar spinal pain includes interventions for somatic pain and radicular pain with either facet joint interventions, sacroiliac joint interventions, or intradiscal therapy. For radicular pain, epidural injections, percutaneous adhesiolysis, percutaneous disc decompression, or spinal endoscopic adhesiolysis may be performed. For non-responsive, recalcitrant, neuropathic pain, implantable therapy may be entertained. In managing pain of cervical origin, if there is evidence of radiculitis, spinal stenosis, post-surgery syndrome, or other demonstrable causes resulting in radiculitis, an interventionalist may proceed with therapeutic epidural injections. An algorithmic approach for chronic neck pain without disc herniation or radiculitis commences with clinical question, physical and imaging findings, followed by diagnostic facet joint injections. Cervical provocation discography is rarely performed. Based on the literature available in the United States, cervical facet joints account for 40% to 50% of cases of chronic neck pain without disc herniation, while discogenic pain accounts for approximately 20% of the patients. The management algorithm includes either facet joint interventions or epidural injections with surgical referral for disc-related pain and rarely implantable therapy. In managing thoracic pain, a diagnostic and therapeutic algorithmic approach includes either facet joint interventions or epidural injections. Key words: Algorithmic approach, chronic pain, chronic spinal pain, diagnostic interventional techniques, therapeutic interventional techniques, comprehensive evaluation, documentation, medical decision making.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (02) ◽  
pp. 109-119
Author(s):  
Wahyuddin Wahyuddin ◽  
Mantana Vongsirinavarat ◽  
Keerin Mekhora ◽  
Sunee Bovonsunthonchai ◽  
Rachaneewan Adisaipoapun

Background: Facet joint is a potential structure to be the source of chronic low back pain (LBP) affecting lumbar motion, pain, and disability. Other than the recommended treatment of lumbar stabilization exercise (LSE), several manual procedures including muscle energy technique (MET) are commonly used in physical therapy clinic. However, little evidences of the effects of MET have been reported. Objective: This study aimed to compare the immediate effects of MET and LSE in patients with chronic LBP with suspected facet joint origin. Methods: Twenty-one patients with low back pain were recruited and randomly assigned to receive treatment either MET or LSE. The outcomes were kinematic changes, pain intensity, and disability level. Lumbar active range of motion (ROM) of flexion, extension, left and right lateral flexion, and left and right rotation were evaluated using the three-dimension motion analysis system at baseline and immediately after treatment. Pain intensity was evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS) at baseline, immediately after, and two days after treatment. Thai version of the modified Oswestry disability questionnaire (ODQ) was utilized at baseline and two days after treatment. The mixed model analysis of variance was used to analyze all outcomes. Results: The results showed that all outcomes were not different between groups after treatments. Although there were statistically significant improvements after the treatments when collapsing the groups, the minimal clinically important change was found only for pain but not for lumbar movements and disabilities scores. Conclusion: The effect of MET and LSE alone in single session might not be intensive enough to improve movements and decrease disability in patients with chronic LBP with suspected facet joint origin.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Matteo Bonetti ◽  
Alessio Zambello ◽  
Marco Leonardi ◽  
Ciro Princiotta

Low back pain and sciatica are highly debilitating conditions affecting all socioeconomic groups at an increasingly early age. They are caused by different often concomitant spinal disorders: disc or facet joint disease, spondylolisthesis (with or without listhesis), vertebral body and interapophyseal arthrosis, spinal stenosis, radicular and synovial cysts and, more rarely, infections and primary or metastatic cancer.Treatment of low back pain and/or sciatica requires an accurate diagnosis based on thorough history-taking and physical examination followed by appropriate imaging tests, namely computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance scans in addition to standard X-rays of the spine.In recent years, several reports have demonstrated the utility of oxygen-ozone therapy in reducing the size of herniated discs. The present study reports on the outcome of oxygen-ozone treatment in 416 patients with non-discogenic low back pain caused by degenerative disease of the posterior vertebral compartment (facet synovitis, Baastrup syndrome, spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, facet degeneration). 


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaushik Nayak ◽  
Lakshmikanth H K ◽  
Rahul P Kotian ◽  
Sushil Yadav

Abstract Background: Backache radiating to the limbs is the most common cause for nerve root compression which can lead to several functional abnormalities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides valuable information regarding the size, shape, location and impact of disc herniation on the nerve root fibres, so MRI is used in the diagnosis of the disc herniation but inconsistencies were seen between the clinical symptoms and MRI findings. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of lumbar nerve root fibres reduces the number of false positive and false negative findings and thus increases the concordance between clinical and imaging findings. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values ranges from 0 and 1 which describes the degree of anisotropy of a diffusion process. The current study explored the difference in FA values between subjects suffering from with and without low back pain using DTI.Materials and Methods: 45 patients with low backache and 45 controls were employed to evaluate changes of the lumbar spine using DTI derived FA values. A Philips Achieva 1.5 Tesla MRI unit was used for data collection. In the present study we evaluated both FA and Apparent Diffusion Co-efficient (ADC) values in six regions of the lumbar spine.Results: Patients with low backache showed differences in FA values compared to control group. Descriptive data analysis was done using SPSS software version 20.0. However the values did not follow normal distribution so Mann Whitney U test was used to correlate FA and ADC values in both the groups. Significant differences were found in FA at both sides of the L4 vertebrae. We also found significant differences in ADC at the left side of L3 and right side of the L4 vertebrae.Conclusion: : Our findings indicate that DTI and FA can be used in patients with low backache for early detection and treatment. The affected side of the spine showing symptoms of the nerve roots showed significant reduction in FA and slight increase in ADC values.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram B Patel

Lumbar or lower back pain is a very debilitating condition that affects  almost one fifth of the adult population during a given year. Almost everyone walking on two feet is bound to suffer from some back pain during their lifetime. The health care burden for treating low back pain is enormous, especially if the lost work hours are combined with the amount used in diagnosing and treating low back pain. Lumbar facet (zygapophysial) joints are one of the major components involved in causing lower back pain. Diagnosing the pain generator is more of an art than a science. Combining various parameters in the patient’s history, physical examination, and diagnostic studies is not much different from solving a murder mystery. Although facet joint pain may be accompanied by other pain generators, that is, lumbar intervertebral disks, nerve roots, and vertebral bodies, once treated, the relief in pain is more helpful in performing proper rehabilitation and improving further deterioration in low back pain. Muscles are almost always painful due to myofascial pain syndrome that accompanies the facet joint–related pain. Treating one without addressing the other leads to failure in management and optimization of patient’s pain and function. Several treatments are available for treatment of facet joint–mediated pain, including steroid injections using a miniscule amount and radiofrequency ablation of the nerves supplying the facet joints (medial branches of the dorsal primary ramus of the lumbar nerve root). With proper diagnosis and treatment, a patient’s pain and function can be optimized to a level where it may not impact the day-to-day activities or even resumption of the patient’s routine job function. The following review describes the anatomy, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of lumbar facet joint–mediated pain.   Key words: facet joint pain, facet joint syndrome, low back pain, medial branch radiofrequency, spondylolisthesis


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Britta K. Krautwurst ◽  
Jürgen R. Paletta ◽  
Sylvia Mendoza ◽  
Adrian Skwara ◽  
Melvin Mohokum

Objective. Detection of a lateral shift (LS) in patients with diagnosed disc herniation compared to healthy controls. Summary of Background Data. A specific lateral shift (LS) pattern is observed in patients with disc herniation and low back pain, as shown in earlier studies. Methods. Rasterstereography (RS) was used to investigate the LS. Thirty-nine patients with lumbar disc herniation diagnosed by radiological assessment and low back pain and/or leg pain (mean age 48.2 years, mean BMI 28.5, 28 males and 11 females) and 36 healthy controls (mean age 47.4 years, mean BMI 25.7, 25 males and 11 females) were analysed. LS, pelvic tilt, pelvic inclination, lordotic angle, and trunk torsion were assessed. Results. The patient group showed a nonsignificant increase in LS, that is, 5.6 mm compared to the healthy controls with 5.0 mm (p = 0.693). However, significant differences were found between groups regarding pelvic tilt in degrees (patients 5.9°, healthy controls 2.0°; p = 0.016), trunk torsion (patients 7.5°, controls 4.5°; p = 0.017), and lordotic angle (patients 27.5°, healthy controls 32.7°; p = 0.022). The correlation between pain intensity and the FFbH-R amounted 0.804 (p = < 0.01), and that between pain intensity and the pain disability index was 0.785 (p < 0.01). Discussion. Although some studies have illustrated LS with disc herniation and low back pain, the present findings demonstrate no significant increase in LS in the patient group compared to healthy controls. Conclusion. The patients with lumbar disc herniation did not demonstrate an increased LS compared to healthy controls. Other parameters like pelvic tilt and inclination seemed to be more suitable to identify changes in posture measured by RS in patients with low back pain or disc herniation.


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