Ultrasound-Guided Lumbar Medial Branch Block

Silva-Ortiz V.M.; Reyes-Armendariz J.; Diez-Tafur R. · Practical Atlas of Ultrasound for Anesthesia in Chronic Pain (2025) · DOI: 10.1201/9781032625911-40

Resumen

Lumbar facet pain can be defined as lumbosacral pain that may or may not be associated with radicular pain extending from any of the lumbar facet joints. Within chronic low back pain, facet joints are a common cause, affecting up to 45% of patients with these characteristics. Among the causes of lumbar facet pain are degenerative changes, muscular weakness and imbalance, overload, and inflammation. It is typically exacerbated by lumbar extension, flexion, or rotation, with these features being crucial for diagnosis, in combination with physical examination and imaging studies.