Case Report #49: Septic Arthritis Following Lumbar Facet Joint Injections presented by Dr Mina Saad and Dr Ranj Khaffaf

Published: 04/08/2025

References

  1. Manchikanti L et al. Prevalence of facet joint pain in chronic spinal pain of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2004; 5(1): 15. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-5-15
  2. Bogduk N, MacVicar J. Osteoarthritis of zygapophysial joints as a cause of back pain and neck pain: a scoping review. Pain Med. 2024 Sep 1;25(9):541-552. doi:10.1093/pm/pnae036
  3. Cohen SP, Raja SN. Pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of lumbar zygapophysial (facet) joint pain. Anesthesiology 2007; 106(3): 591–614. doi:10.1097/00000542-200703000-00024
  4. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. NICE guideline [NG59]. London: NICE; 2016.
  5. Dreyfuss P et al. Efficacy and validity of radiofrequency neurotomy for chronic lumbar zygapophysial joint pain. Spine 2000; 25(10): 1270–1277. doi:10.1097/00007632-200005150-00012
  6. Friedrich J, Itano EM, Lynn RR. Management of cardiac implantable electrical devices in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation for spine pain: physician survey and review of guidelines. Pain Physician. 2020; 23(4): E335.
  7. Santiago K, Cheng J, Jivanelli B, Lutz G. Infections Following Interventional Spine Procedures: A Systematic Review. Pain Physician. 2021; 24(2): 101-116.
  8. Ross JJ, Ard KL. Septic Arthritis of the Spinal Facet Joint: Review of 117 Cases. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2024; 11(3): ofae091. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofae091
  9. The British Pain Society and Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. Standards of good Practice for Spinal Interventional Procedures in Pain Medicine. London: The British Pain Society; 2020.
  10. Yoon SC, Choi EJ. Diagnosis and management of infections related to spinal pain interventions. Anesth Pain Med (Seoul). 2024; 19(4): 294-301. doi:10.17085/apm.24140

 

Additionally see Recommended Reading for August 2025 here.