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This study was designed to investigate the clinical efficacy of fluoroscopically guided therapeutic cervical selective nerve root blocks (SNRBs) in patients with whiplash induced cervical radicular pain. Study design was restrospective with independent clinical review. Twenty two patients were included. Each patient met specific physical examination criteria and failed to improve clinically after at least four weeks of physical therapy and the use of oral analgesics. Each patient demonstrated a positive response to a fluoroscopically guided diagnostic cervical SNRB. Patients were excluded for radiographic evidence of a focal disc protrusion or foraminal stenosis at the symptomatic level. Therapeutic cervical SNRBs were administered in conjunction with physical therapy. Data collection and analysis were performed by an independent clinical reviewer. Outcome measures included VAS pain scores, work status, medication usage, and Oswestry disability scores. Results showed the patients' symptom duration prior to diagnostic injection averaged 6 months. An average of 2.1 therapeutic injections was administered. Follow up data collection transpired at an average of 33.3 weeks following the final therapeutic injection. Good or excellent results were observed in 14% of patients. In higher functioning individuals a significantly greater (F=.0427) improvement in pain of 48.9% was observed. In these initial findings suggest that fluoroscopically guided therapeutic SNRBs, except possibly for higher functioning individuals, are not effective in the treatment of whiplash induced cervical radicular pain.

The practice guidelines for interventional techniques in the management of chronic pain are systematically developed statements to assist physician and patient decisions about appropriate health care related to chronic pain. These guidelines are professionally derived recommendations for practices in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic or persistent pain. They were developed utilizing a combination of evidence and consensus based techniques, to increase patient access to treatment, improve outcomes and appropriateness of care, and optimize cost-effectiveness. The guidelines include a discussion of their purpose, rationale, and importance, including the patient population served, the methodology and the pathophysiologic basis for intervention. Various interventional techniques will be discussed addressing the rationale for their use in chronic pain with analysis of the outcomes data and cost effectiveness. These guidelines do not constitute inflexible treatment recommendations. It is expected that a provider will establish a plan of care on a case-by-case basis, taking into account an individual patient's medical condition, personal needs, and preferences, and the physician's experience. Based on an individual patient's needs, treatment different from that outlined here could be warranted.

A case of thoracic spine spasms secondary to a bleeding duodenal ulcer is presented. A 41-year-old male with 14-week history of thoracic spine spasm was treated with bed rest, spinal manipulation, physical therapy, medication, and a thoracolumbar brace. Subsequently, a provocative thoracic discogram performed at T9-T10 created periscapular pain and also reproduced the presenting thoracic spasms. Intradiscal electrothermal annuloplasty (IDET) was performed at the T9-T10 level, but without sustained relief. The patient presented to a spine center for evaluation. The diagnosis of thoracic discogenic disease was suspected. A second provocative thoracic discogram was performed and failed to reproduce his thoracic spasms. Three weeks after being referred to a chronic pain management physician, the patient presented to a local emergency room with hema-temesis. An endoscopic evaluation revealed a bleeding duodenal ulcer. Following medical treatment of the duodenal ulcer with a proton pump inhibitor the patient had complete resolution of his thoracic spasms. This represents the first reported case of thoracic spine spasms as an initial presenting symptom of a bleeding peptic ulcer.

Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal ailment. The process of determining the etiology of shoulder pain can be difficult. The differential diagnoses include: both intracapsular and extracapsular lesions; and neurologic, vascular, postural, and visceral causes. We present an unusual case of shoulder pain accompanied by loss of shoulder range of motion (ROM), initially thought to be caused by an intrinsic shoulder disorder. However, it ultimately was determined that a cervical radicular disorder caused both the impaired ROM and the patient's shoulder pain.

We report the first case of zygoapophyseal joint cyst-induced radicular pain successfully treated with therapeutic selective nerve root block. A 56-year-old dentist presented with pain involving the lateral thigh, lateral calf, and foot dorsum that worsened with standing and walking. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine showed a cyst emanating from the right L4-L5 zygoapophyseal joint, resulting in central canal and lateral recess stenosis. The patient was treated with two fluorscopically guided therapeutic L5 selective nerve root blocks. The patient remained pain free at 18-month follow-up.

Objective: To evaluate the role of fluoroscopically guided injection procedures in the nonsurgical treatment of zygapophyseal joint cyst-induced radicular pain., Design: Retrospective study with independent clinical review., Participants: Fourteen patients (average age, 60.2 yrs), with an average symptom duration of 18.8 months, were included., Methods: Medical records were reviewed; patients with a radiographically observed zygapophyseal joint cyst that may have represented a compressive lesion corresponding to the patient's symptoms of radicular pain were eligible for inclusion. The level of nerve root involvement was confirmed by physical examination or electrodiagnostic findings. Patients whose root level involvement remained undetermined were required to demonstrate a positive response to a fluoroscopically guided diagnostic selective nerve root block (SNRB). Nonsurgical treatments included therapeutic SNRB, intraarticular zygapophyseal joint corticosteroid injection, and cyst puncture. Data collection and analysis were performed by an independent clinical reviewer., Outcome Measures: Pain score, work status, medication usage, and patient satisfaction with treatment., Results: The majority of the observed cysts (71.4%) were at the L4-L5 level. Follow-up data collection was done at an average of 1.4 years after termination of treatment. An excellent outcome was observed in 4 patients (28.6%). Fifty percent of patients underwent surgery., Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest a role for fluoroscopically guided injection techniques in the nonsurgical treatment of zygapophyseal joint cyst-induced radicular pain, with up to one-third of patients experiencing lasting symptomatic relief.

Objective: To investigate the outcomes resulting from the use of fluoroscopically guided therapeutic selective nerve root block (SNRB) in the nonsurgical treatment of atraumatic cervical spondylotic radicular pain., Study Design: Retrospective study with independent clinical review., Participants: Twenty subjects (10 men, 10 women) with mean age 56.6 years., Methods: Each patient met specific physical examination, radiographic, and electrodiagnostic criteria to confirm a level of cervical involvement. Those patients whose root level remained indeterminate were required to demonstrate a positive response to a fluoroscopically guided diagnostic SNRB prior to the initiation of treatment. Therapeutic injections were administered in conjunction with physical therapy. Data collection and analysis were performed by an independent clinical reviewer., Main Outcome Measures: Pain score, work status, medication usage, and patient satisfaction., Results: Twenty patients with an average symptom duration of 5.8 months were included. An average of 2.2 therapeutic injections was administered. Follow-up data collection transpired at an average of 21.2 months following discharge from treatment. A significant reduction (p = .001) in pain score was observed at the time of follow-up. Medication usage was also significantly improved (p = .005) at the time of follow-up. An overall good or excellent result was observed in 60%. Thirty percent of patients required surgery. Younger patients were more likely (p = .0047) to report the highest patient satisfaction rating following treatment., Conclusions: This study suggests that fluoroscopically guided therapeutic SNRB is a clinically effective intervention in the treatment of atraumatic cervical spondylotic radicular pain.

Objective: To determine the patterns of pain referral from the sacroiliac joint., Study Design: Retrospective., Participants/methods: Fifty consecutive patients who satisfied clinical criteria and demonstrated a positive diagnostic response to a fluoroscopically guided sacroiliac joint injection were included. Each patient's preinjection pain description was used to determine areas of pain referral, and 18 potential pain-referral zones were established., Outcome Measures: Observed areas of pain referral., Results: Eighteen men (36.0%) and 32 women (64.0%) were included with a mean age of 42.5 years (range, 20 to 75 yrs) and a mean symptom duration of 18.2 months (range, 1 to 72 mo). Forty-seven patients (94.0%) described buttock pain, and 36 patients (72.0%) described lower lumbar pain. Groin pain was described in 7 patients (14.0%). Twenty-five patients (50.0%) described associated lower-extremity pain. Fourteen patients (28.0%) described leg pain distal to the knee, and 6 patients (14.0%) reported foot pain. Eighteen patterns of pain referral were observed. A statistically significant relationship was identified between pain location and age, with younger patients more likely to describe pain distal to the knee., Conclusions: Pain referral from the sacroiliac joint does not appear to be limited to the lumbar region and buttock. The variable patterns of pain referral observed may arise for several reasons, including the joint's complex innervation, sclerotomal pain referral, irritation of adjacent structures, and varying locations of injury with the sacroiliac joint.

A case of bilateral lower extremity deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism as a complication of bed rest prescribed for an acute low back pain episode is presented. A 29-year-old woman with low back pain was prescribed more than 2 weeks of bed rest, during which she developed progressive bilateral lower extremity complaints that were ascribed to nerve root irritation. Her symptoms were initially treated with physical therapy and epidural steroid injections. A Doppler examination and ventilation-perfusion scan revealed extensive deep venous thromboses and mismatches consistent with pulmonary embolism. This case illustrates an unusual extraspinal source of lower extremity symptoms associated with low back pain and further supports the role of early mobilization in the treatment of back pain.

Low back pain with pain radiating to the lower extremities is common in patients referred to a spine center. Lumbar spine pathology is commonly the etiology of such symptoms, but extraspinal causes of back and leg pain can manifest as a radicular disorder. Extraspinal etiologies must be considered in the workup of back and leg pain. This report describes an unusual case of spontaneously occurring bilateral femoral neck stress fractures presenting as low back pain with seemingly bilateral L4 radicular symptoms.

Study Design: This prospective study consisted of mechanical stimulation of cervical nerve roots C4 to C8 in patients with cervical radicular symptoms undergoing diagnostic selective nerve root block., Objectives: To document the distribution of pain and paresthesias that result from stimulation of specific cervical nerve roots and compare that distribution to documented sensory dermatomal maps., Summary of Background Data: Cervical dermatomes were first studied in the late 19th century. The results of those studies underpin current clinical decision making for patients with neck and arm pain. However, it has been observed that patients with radicular symptoms may have cervical pathology by radiographic imaging that is not corroborative, or have imaging studies that suggest a lesion at a level other than the one suggested by the patient's dermatomal symptoms. These observations may suggest that cervical dermatomal mapping is inaccurate or the distribution of referred symptoms (dynatome) from cervical root irritation is different than the sensory deficit outlined by dermatomal maps., Methods: Inclusion criteria consisted of consecutive patients undergoing fluoroscopically guided diagnostic cervical selective nerve root blocks from C4 to C8. Immediately preceding contrast injection, mechanical stimulation of the root was performed. An independent observer interviewed and recorded the location of provoked symptoms on a pain diagram. Visual data was subsequently compiled using a 793 body sector bit map. Forty-three clinically relevant body regions were defined on this bit map. Frequencies of symptom provocation and likelihood of symptom location from C4 to C8 stimulation of each nerve root were generated., Results: One hundred thirty-four cervical nerve root stimulations were performed on 87 subjects. There were 4 nerve root stimulations at C4, 14 at C5, 43 at C6, 52 at C7, and 21 at C8. Analyzing the frequency of involvement of the predetermined clinically relevant body regions either individually or in various combinations yielded more than 1,000 bits of data. Although the distribution of symptom provocation resembled the classic dermatomal maps for cervical nerve roots, symptoms were frequently provoked outside of the distribution of classic dermatomal maps., Conclusion: The current study demonstrates a distinct difference between dynatomal and dermatomal maps.

Objective: To determine the clinical validity of provocative sacroiliac joint (SIJ) maneuvers in making the diagnosis of sacroiliac joint syndrome (SIJS)., Design: Prospective constructive cohort study using sacroiliac joint block (SIJB) as the diagnostic gold standard., Setting: Tertiary care center., Patients: Consecutive patients describing low back pain including the region of the sacral sulcus. Physical examination revealed a positive response to three provocative SIJ maneuvers, two of which had to be Patrick's test and pain with palpation over the ipsilateral sacral sulcus., Interventions: All subjects underwent fluoroscopically guided SIJB., Main Outcome Measures: Response to SIJB was assessed with visual analog scale (VAS) ratings before and after the block. A reduction of the VAS rating by at least 80% was considered a positive response to SIJB., Results: Fifty consecutive patients met our criteria and underwent SIJB. Thirty patients had positive response to SIJB, making up the positive SIJS group. Twenty patients had less than 80% pain reduction with SIJB and thus comprised the negative SIJS group. The positive predictive value of provocative SIJ maneuvers in determining the presence of SIJS is therefore 60%., Conclusions: Our results do not support the use of provocative SIJ maneuvers to confirm a diagnosis of SIJS. Rather, these physical examination techniques can, at best, enter SIJS into the differential diagnosis.

Study Design: A prospective study was done to assess the diagnostic value of radionuclide imaging (bone scan) in the evaluation of sacroiliac joint syndrome, Objectives: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of radionuclide imaging in establishing a diagnosis of sacroiliac joint syndrome in patients with low back pain., Summary of Background Data: There is no pathognomonic symptom or sign to establish the diagnosis of sacroiliac joint syndrome. It has been accepted that confirmation of sacroiliac joint syndrome requires relief of pain, a positive response to a sacroiliac joint block. Bone scanning has been proposed as a useful imaging technique to evaluate for sacroiliac joint syndrome. The authors explored the use of nuclear imaging as a cost-effective and noninvasive technique in the diagnostic algorithm of sacroiliac joint syndrome., Methods: Patients presenting to the author's Spine Center with complaints of low back pain including the region of the sacral sulcus were screened for inclusion into this study. Positive response to three provocative Sacroiliac joint maneuvers was requisite, two of which had to be Patrick's test and pain with palpation over the sacral sulcus. Patients who met these criteria were entered into a physical therapy program comprised of lumbar spine stabilization techniques and excluded any interventions considered specific for sacroiliac joint syndrome. Those whose symptoms failed to improve with this program underwent bone scan and fluoroscopically guided sacroiliac joint block. Response to sacroiliac joint block was assessed with pre- and post-block visual analog scale scores completed by the patient. A reduction of the VAS rating by at least 80% was considered a positive response to sacroiliac joint block., Results: Fifty consecutive patients met the author's criteria and underwent bone scan and sacroiliac joint block. Thirty-one patients who had positive responses to sacroiliac joint block comprised the positive sacroiliac joint block group. Nineteen patients had less than 80% pain reduction with sacroiliac joint block and were labeled the negative sacroiliac-joint block group. Four patients had positive bone scans, all of whom were in the positive sacroiliac joint group., Conclusions: The results demonstrated very low sensitivity and high specificity of nuclear imaging in the evaluation of sacroiliac joint syndrome. The authors do not recommend bone scan in the diagnostic algorithm for sacroiliac joint syndrome.

One of the potentially troublesome sequelae of limb amputations is the development of stump neuromas at the severed ends of major nerves. The ability to define them and to distinguish them from other causes of stump pain is of considerable clinical significance. Computed tomography was performed on ten lower limb amputees with stump pain. Five patients had neuromas that were manifest as focal or generalized alteration in the caliber, size, or contour of the nerve trunk in the affected stump. The remaining five patients each had an abnormality detected; these abnormalities included heterotopic bone formation, popliteal artery aneurysm, lipoma, scar tissue, and abscess in the contralateral limb.