الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 101 |  |  |
| | | from | 101 | | |
Abstract
Background: chronic low back pain (LBP) has been a leading cause for patient visits and health care costs, and a substantial cause of disability with prominent psychosocial and financial impacts. Lumbar facet joint syndrome (FJS) is considered one of the main causes of chronic LBP. The prevalence of FJS ranges between 15 to 45% in most studies.Facet joints (also known as zygapophyseal joints) are true synovial joints that connect the vertebral arch of one vertebra to that of the adjacent vertebra. They form the posterolateral articulations of the vertebral column.Lumbar facet joint syndrome manifests with localized low back pain usually radiating to lower limbs. The pain is commonly referred to as ‘‘pseudoradicular’’ lumbar pain, that may radiate unilaterally or bilaterally to the buttocks, the groins or the thighs, typically ending above the knee, and is not associated with any neurological deficit.Facet joints interventional procedures are the second most common in interventional pain medicine. Intra-articular injection of local anaesthetics and steroids has been used widely with significant effects. As an alternative to steroids, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), an autologous blood derivative containing high concentrations of cytokines and growth factors, is recently proposed for treatment of lumbar facet joint syndrome, and little information is available about its effectiveness and safety. In this study, ultrasonography guided injection is used to introduce either the corticosteroid or the PRP into the joint space.Patients and Methods: 30 patients with lumbar facet joint syndrome who met inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized into two groups; group A (intra-articular steroid injection) and group B (intra-articular PRP injection), 15 patients in each group. Improvement was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Oswestry disability index (ODI) at 1 week, 1 month, 3months and 6months after injection. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Both steroid and PRP were shown to cause statistically significant pain relief and improved disability in comparison to baseline. Steroid provided better results on the short-term scale (1 week and 1 month), whereas PRP effects lasted relatively longer. Conclusion: PRP is an effective and safe option in the management of the lumbar facet joint syndrome and provides relatively long-lasting effects in comparison to steroids.