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May 20, 2026Pain Management

Effectiveness of thermal radiofrequency ablation versus corticosteroid injections for pain reduction in facet-mediated chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Authors

JLJustin LeRowan UniversityHLHan LiuRowan UniversityAAAndrew AtschinowRowan University

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Implication

Systematic review compares pain reduction in chronic low back pain from thermal radiofrequency ablation and corticosteroid injections, suggesting modest benefits of RFA.

Key Points

  • This review aims to compare the effectiveness of thermal radiofrequency ablation and corticosteroid injections in reducing pain from facet joint syndrome in chronic low back pain.
  • Conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials from multiple databases including PubMed and Cochrane Library.
  • Primary outcome measured was the Visual Analog Scale for pain at 3 and 6 months.
  • Used Review Manager 5.4 for mean differences evaluation with a random-effects model.
  • Thermal RFA resulted in greater pain reduction compared to corticosteroid injections (MD < 0.00001).
  • Moderate to low heterogeneity was observed across timepoints.
  • Although statistically significant, the results were below the minimally important clinical difference.

Cite This Study

Le et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a0d4ee2f03e14405aa9a0e7https://doi.org/10.1080/17581869.2026.2675483
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Evidence of Multifidus Changes Post-Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation: A Narrative Literature Review2025 · 6 citations
  2. 2Facet joint syndrome: from diagnosis to interventional management2018 · 284 citations
  3. 3Role of Facet Joints in Chronic Low Back Pain in the Elderly: A Controlled Comparative Prevalence Study2001 · 58 citations
  4. 4Radiofrequency vs Steroid Injections for Spinal Facet and Sacroiliac Joint Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis2024 · 4 citations
  5. 5Facet Joint Syndrome: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment2022 · 58 citations