Sensory Mapping of Lumbar Facet Joint Pain
CompletedNCT03323775
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This study has no listed site in Canada in this snapshot. It is included as part of the worldwide chronic pain corpus.
Brief summary (from the registry)
Low back pain is a major contributor to the chronic pain burden in the community. Although there are numerous pain generators in the spine, lumbar facet joints are one of the most common sources of pain. A variety of measures such as physiotherapy, oral analgesics and minimally invasive injections are used to treat lumbar facet joint pain. Facet joint steroid injections and radiofrequency denervations of the facet joint are the most commonly performed minimally invasive pain procedures for lumbar facet joint pain. Radiofrequency denervation is carried out by thermal lesioning of the medial branches that supply the facet joints. Conventionally two medial branches have been shown to innervate one facet joint and based on this, the norm is to lesion two nerves to denervate one facet joint. However, there is some variation in the nerve supply which may account for failure or false negative results of the diagnostic blocks. The aim of the present study is to explore the feasibility of sensory mapping, thereby referral pattern of the lumbar medial branches using suprathreshold stimulation and to correlate the referral patterns with painful areas in the back and leg. It will also test if the present method of lesioning two nerves to denervate one facet joint is appropriate.
Study details
- Official title
- Sensory Mapping of Lumbar Facet Joint Pain
- Conditions
- Interventions
- Diagnostic test: Suprathreshold stimulation
- Sponsor
- University of Aberdeen
- Collaborators
- NHS Grampian
- Start date
- 2017-11-10
- Primary completion
- 2018-04-30
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years to 80 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- United Kingdom
- Total sites listed
- 1
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: -Patients scheduled for radiofrequency denervation of lumbar medial branches and L5 dorsal ramus after adequate response to diagnostic testing Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to understand and comprehend the information given in English * Inability to complete pain diagram
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03323775