Consensus-Based Interventions for Cervical and Lumbar Facet Joint Pain and Sacroiliac Joint Disorders: A Concise Summary of International Practice Guidelines

Cervical and lumbar facet joint interventions and sacroiliac joint injections are some of the most frequent interventions done in interventional pain medicine. Various detailed guidelines have been developed by international, multispecialty societies and panels, including the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), to guide clinical decision-making. However, these extensive documents are often hard to apply within the time limits of clinical practice. We compared and summarized three international working groups' and ASPN's published consensus guidelines' recommendations. The summary focuses on diagnostic criteria, procedure guidelines, and follow-up. All three guidelines emphasize the use of controlled diagnostic blocks, fluoroscopic or CT guidance, and consideration of radiofrequency ablation following diagnostic confirmation. Functional improvement and ≥50-80% pain relief thresholds are significant criteria for procedural progression. These brief summaries give pain physicians an easily accessible clinical guide to evidence-based consensus on spinal interventions. Full credit is given to the original guideline publications for their comprehensive work.