06/05/2025
DID YOU KNOW:
In the BMJ (British Medical Journal) strongly recommend against these procedures for non-cancer chronic pain:
Local spine pain
-Joint radiofrequency ablation with or without joint targeted injection of local anaesthetic plus steroid
-Epidural injection of local anaesthetic, steroids, or their combination
-Joint-targeted injection of local anaesthetic, steroid, or their combination
-Intramuscular injection of local anaesthetic with or without steroids
Radicular spine pain
-Dorsal root ganglion radiofrequency with or without epidural injection of local anaesthetic or local anaesthetic plus steroids
-Epidural injection of local anaesthetic, steroids, or their combination
Roughly 9 million injections are performed each year, with each costing around $1000. That places a $9 billion burden on the healthcare system.
Busse Jw, et al, Commonly used interventional procedures for non-cancer chronic spine pain: a clinical practice guideline. BMJ, 2025;388:e079970. https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj-2024-079970
Ballentine JC. Spinal interventions for chronic back pain. BMJ, 2025;388:r179. https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r179
Do negative findings demand action? Despite the common use of spine injections in pain clinics around the world, it has been hard to come up with evidence that strongly supports this practice when applied to chronic back pain (persisting for >3 months). Existing guidelines range from recommending us...