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Efficacy Comparison of Radiofrequency Denervation to Conservative Treatment in Chronic Low Back Pain of Facet Origin

Introduction. Lumbar facet joints have been implicated as the source of pain in 15% to 45% of patients with chronic low back pain. Many studies showed various and unsatisfactory results either in establishing the diagnosis or in the treatment of chronic low back pain causing lack of standard treatment for chronic low back pain of facet origin. Materials and methods. The study used quasi experimental design and was conducted in Fatmawati and Bintaro international hospital, Jakarta. The study included 60 patients in group I with radiofrequency denervation of medial branch and 60 patients in group II with conservative treatment. The inclusion criteria was based on the positive response to facet diagnostic block (Visual Analog Scale pain score decreased >50%). Oswestry Disability Index was calculated in both of groups before and after treatment. Assessments were performed at baseline, third month, and sixth months. Results. Significant difference in functional improvement between radiofrequency and conservative group was found at third month (p=0.004) but not sixth month (p=0.521). Conclusions. Radiofrequency of medial branch may provide better result than conservative treatment in 3 month but not in 6 months in functional effectiveness of chronic low back pain of facet joint origin. Keywords: chronic low back pain, lumbar facet joint pain, radiofrequency of medial branch, Oswestry Disability Index score