Newswise — With the toll that chronic low back pain takes on patients’ quality of life and on society as a whole through lost productivity and disability, finding effective treatments is of great importance to researchers. One approach to treating chronic low back pain is something called lumbar medial branch nerve radiofrequency ablation/neurotomy (LRFA), which targets painful facet joints. However, it has been suggested that LRFA may lead to multifidus muscle denervation, given its shared innervation from these nerves. The multifidus is a key stabilizer of the lumbar spine and multifidus dysfunction and/or atrophy has been proposed as a potential driving factor in low back pain recurrency and chronicity.
To try to answer this debate in pain medicine and to determine if there is sufficient and quality evidence that LRFA actually can lead to multifidus dysfunction or atrophy, a group of researchers conducted a systematic review of the current literature. The research identified five relevant studies that evaluated multifidus atrophy and/or dysfunction. The authors reported a presence of high bias and very limited and low-quality evidence discussing this topic. The paucity of literature on this topic is substantial and this review emphasizes the lack of standardization in evaluation of multifidus atrophy and/or dysfunction following LRFA and highlights the need for high-quality prospective studies. However, given the confirmed electromyographic and diagnostic imaging findings from a limited number of observational studies, some multifidus atrophy and/or dysfunction is plausible, yet its relevance in clinical practice remains inconclusive.
The research abstract, “Multifidus Atrophy and/or Dysfunction Following Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation: A Systematic Review,” will be presented on November 11 at 10:30 am CT, during the 22nd Annual Pain Medicine Meeting in New Orleans, LA. The abstract was selected as one of three “Best of Meeting Abstracts.” Authors are Vinny Francio, MD, Michael Glicksman, MD, Logan Leavitt, DO, Benjamin Gill, DO, Anuj Shah, MD, Benjamin Westerhaus, MD, Christopher Lam, MD, and Ryan D’Souza, MD.
The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine is a membership society of more than 5,000 healthcare professionals devoted to advancing evidence-based practice of pain medicine across the pain continuum, from acute pain to chronic pain. Our mission is to advance the science and practice of regional anesthesia and pain medicine to improve patient outcomes through research, education, and advocacy. Our vision is to relieve the global burden of pain. We are committed to integrity, innovation, inclusiveness, service, compassion, and wellness. Learn more at www.asra.com.
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