BACKGROUND Cervical facet joint pain(CFP)is one of the most common causes of neck pain and headache.Persistent CFP deteriorates the quality of life of patients and reduces their productivity at work.AIM To investigate...BACKGROUND Cervical facet joint pain(CFP)is one of the most common causes of neck pain and headache.Persistent CFP deteriorates the quality of life of patients and reduces their productivity at work.AIM To investigate the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency(PRF)stimulation of cervical medial branches in patients with chronic CFP.METHODS We retrospectively included 21 consecutive patients(age=50.9±15.3 years,range 26-79 years;male:female=8:13;pain duration=7.7±5.0 mo)with chronic CFP,defined as≥4 on the numeric rating scale(NRS).We performed PRF stimulation on the cervical medial branches.The outcomes of the PRF procedure were evaluated by comparing the NRS scores for CFP before treatment and 1 and 3 mo after treatment.Successful pain relief was defined as a≥50%reduction in the NRS score at 3 mo when compared with the pretreatment NRS score.RESULTS No patient had immediate or late adverse effects following PRF.The average NRS score for CFP decreased from 5.3±1.1 at pre-treatment to 2.4±0.6 at the 1 mo follow-up,and 3.1±1.1 at the 3 mo follow-up.Compared to the NRS scores before PRF stimulation,those at 1 and 3 mo after PRF stimulation had significantly decreased.Eleven of the 21 patients(52.4%)reported successful pain relief 3 mo after the PRF procedure.PRF stimulation on cervical medial branches may be a useful therapeutic option to control chronic CFP.CONCLUSION PRF stimulation of the cervical medial branches may be used as an alternative treatment method in patients with CFP.PRF can effectively alleviate CFP,and is safe to perform.展开更多
BACKGROUND Symptomatic cervical facet cysts are relatively rare compared to those in the lumbar region.These cysts are usually located in the 7th cervical and 1st thoracic vertebral(C7/T1)area,and surgical excision is...BACKGROUND Symptomatic cervical facet cysts are relatively rare compared to those in the lumbar region.These cysts are usually located in the 7th cervical and 1st thoracic vertebral(C7/T1)area,and surgical excision is performed in most cases.However,facet cysts are associated with degenerative conditions,and elderly patients are often ineligible for surgical procedures.Cervical interlaminar epidural block has been used in patients with cervical radiating symptoms and achieved good results.Therefore,cervical interlaminar epidural block may be the first-choice treatment for symptomatic cervical facet cysts.CASE SUMMARY A 70-year-old man complained of a tingling sensation in the left hand,focused on the 4th and 5th fingers,for 1 year,and posterior neck pain for over 5 mo.The patient’s numeric rating scale(NRS)score was 5/10.The patient was diagnosed with symptomatic cervical facet cyst at the left C7/T1 facet joint.Fluoroscopyguided cervical interlaminar epidural block at the C7/T1 level with 20 mg triamcinolone and 5 mL of 0.5%lidocaine was administered.The patient's symptoms improved immediately after the block,with an NRS score of 3 points.After 3 mo,his left posterior neck pain and tingling along the left 8th cervical dermatome were relieved,with an NRS score of 2.CONCLUSION A cervical interlaminar epidural block is a good alternative for managing symptomatic cervical facet cysts.展开更多
Objective： To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture at Jiaji （EX-B 2） points plus tuina manipulation for thoracic facet joint disorder, and get new clinical evidence for treatment of thoracic facet joint diso...Objective： To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture at Jiaji （EX-B 2） points plus tuina manipulation for thoracic facet joint disorder, and get new clinical evidence for treatment of thoracic facet joint disorder. Methods： Totally 106 patients with thoracic facet joint disorder were randomly allocated into an observation group and a control group based on the random number table. Patients in the control group were treated by tuina manipulation, while those in the observation group were treated by acupuncture at Jiaji （EX-B 2） points before tuina manipulation. Patients in the two groups were treated once a day. The improvements of signs and symptoms and the efficacy were observed after 3 treatments. Results： After treatment, there were intra-group statistical differences in scores of 8 signs and symptoms in both groups （P〈0.01}; the score of each item in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, and there was statistical significance in the inter-group difference （P〈0.05）. The cure rate of the observation group was 50.9%, versus 26.4% in the control group, and there was a significant difference between the two groups （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： In treating thoracic facet joint disorder, acupuncture plus tuina manipulation can restore the biomechanical balance of thoracic vertebrae, fully maximized the combined effect, and significantly improve the clinical efficacy.展开更多
基金Supported by National Research Foundation of Korea,No. NRF2021R1A2C1013073
文摘BACKGROUND Cervical facet joint pain(CFP)is one of the most common causes of neck pain and headache.Persistent CFP deteriorates the quality of life of patients and reduces their productivity at work.AIM To investigate the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency(PRF)stimulation of cervical medial branches in patients with chronic CFP.METHODS We retrospectively included 21 consecutive patients(age=50.9±15.3 years,range 26-79 years;male:female=8:13;pain duration=7.7±5.0 mo)with chronic CFP,defined as≥4 on the numeric rating scale(NRS).We performed PRF stimulation on the cervical medial branches.The outcomes of the PRF procedure were evaluated by comparing the NRS scores for CFP before treatment and 1 and 3 mo after treatment.Successful pain relief was defined as a≥50%reduction in the NRS score at 3 mo when compared with the pretreatment NRS score.RESULTS No patient had immediate or late adverse effects following PRF.The average NRS score for CFP decreased from 5.3±1.1 at pre-treatment to 2.4±0.6 at the 1 mo follow-up,and 3.1±1.1 at the 3 mo follow-up.Compared to the NRS scores before PRF stimulation,those at 1 and 3 mo after PRF stimulation had significantly decreased.Eleven of the 21 patients(52.4%)reported successful pain relief 3 mo after the PRF procedure.PRF stimulation on cervical medial branches may be a useful therapeutic option to control chronic CFP.CONCLUSION PRF stimulation of the cervical medial branches may be used as an alternative treatment method in patients with CFP.PRF can effectively alleviate CFP,and is safe to perform.
文摘BACKGROUND Symptomatic cervical facet cysts are relatively rare compared to those in the lumbar region.These cysts are usually located in the 7th cervical and 1st thoracic vertebral(C7/T1)area,and surgical excision is performed in most cases.However,facet cysts are associated with degenerative conditions,and elderly patients are often ineligible for surgical procedures.Cervical interlaminar epidural block has been used in patients with cervical radiating symptoms and achieved good results.Therefore,cervical interlaminar epidural block may be the first-choice treatment for symptomatic cervical facet cysts.CASE SUMMARY A 70-year-old man complained of a tingling sensation in the left hand,focused on the 4th and 5th fingers,for 1 year,and posterior neck pain for over 5 mo.The patient’s numeric rating scale(NRS)score was 5/10.The patient was diagnosed with symptomatic cervical facet cyst at the left C7/T1 facet joint.Fluoroscopyguided cervical interlaminar epidural block at the C7/T1 level with 20 mg triamcinolone and 5 mL of 0.5%lidocaine was administered.The patient's symptoms improved immediately after the block,with an NRS score of 3 points.After 3 mo,his left posterior neck pain and tingling along the left 8th cervical dermatome were relieved,with an NRS score of 2.CONCLUSION A cervical interlaminar epidural block is a good alternative for managing symptomatic cervical facet cysts.
文摘Objective： To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture at Jiaji （EX-B 2） points plus tuina manipulation for thoracic facet joint disorder, and get new clinical evidence for treatment of thoracic facet joint disorder. Methods： Totally 106 patients with thoracic facet joint disorder were randomly allocated into an observation group and a control group based on the random number table. Patients in the control group were treated by tuina manipulation, while those in the observation group were treated by acupuncture at Jiaji （EX-B 2） points before tuina manipulation. Patients in the two groups were treated once a day. The improvements of signs and symptoms and the efficacy were observed after 3 treatments. Results： After treatment, there were intra-group statistical differences in scores of 8 signs and symptoms in both groups （P〈0.01}; the score of each item in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, and there was statistical significance in the inter-group difference （P〈0.05）. The cure rate of the observation group was 50.9%, versus 26.4% in the control group, and there was a significant difference between the two groups （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： In treating thoracic facet joint disorder, acupuncture plus tuina manipulation can restore the biomechanical balance of thoracic vertebrae, fully maximized the combined effect, and significantly improve the clinical efficacy.
