Results
low back pain, Oswestry Disability, Pain, FJI
REGRESSION, RECRUITMENT
One thousand one hundred twenty-eight patients with low back pain were assessed for eligibility. One thousand eighty-nine did not meet eligibility criteria and of those eligible, 35 declined participation. Thirty-nine patients were randomized, but 6 withdrew from the FJI group prior to study treatment. Five of these cases were due to insurance denial of FJI (the study treatment allocation), as most payers stopped coverage for FJI during the study recruitment period, and in one case the individual no longer wanted to participate in the study. Of the 13 remaining patients allocated to the FJI group, 1 individual was lost to follow-up immediately after receiving FJI treatment. Consequently, a total of 32 patients were analyzed in this study. Twenty and 12 patients received C-LRFA and FJI, respectively, as original treatments at the beginning of the study (Consort diagram of participant flow through the study. FJI = facet joint steroid injection; LTFU = lost to follow-up; RFA = radiofrequency ablation.Participant demographics and clinical characteristics, along with outcome variables at baseline (NPRS and ODI), are summarized in Demographics and clinical characteristics of patients (Values are frequency (%), and C-LRFA = Cooled Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation; FJI = Facet Joint Injection; NPRS = Numerical Pain Rating Scale score; ODI = Oswestry Disability Index score.From Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank-sum test.At 1 month (Outcomes for 7-day average NPRS at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-treatment for both groups are shown in 
7-day average NPRS from baseline to follow-up time points by treatment.
CI = Confidence Interval; C-LRFA = Cooled Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation; FJI = Facet Joint Injection; NPRS = Numerical Pain Rating Scale score; PR = Proportion Ratio; SD = Standard Deviation.From Fisher exact test.From Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank-sum test.Improvements in function as measured by ODI did not significantly differ between treatment groups (Proportion of participants who experienced ≥ 30% reduction in ODI score by treatment at follow-up time points. Whiskers represent 95% confidence intervals.ODI from baseline to follow-up time points by treatment.
CI = Confidence Interval; C-LRFA = Cooled Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation; FJI = Facet Joint Injection; ODI = Oswestry Disability Index score; PR = Proportion Ratio; SD = Standard Deviation.From Fisher exact test.From Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank-sum test.PGIC scores at follow-up time points are summarized in Proportion of participants who experienced ≥ 6 in PGIC by treatment at follow-up time points. Whiskers represent 95% confidence intervals.PGIC at follow-up time points by treatment.
C-LRFA = Cooled Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation; FJI = Facet Joint Injection; IQR = Interquartile Range; PGIC = Patient Global Impression of Change; PR = Proportion Ratio.From Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank-sum test.

Mixed-effects binomial logistic regression models on treatment effects by FJI and C-LRFA.CI = Confidence Interval; C-LRFA = Cooled Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation; FJI = Facet Joint Injection; NPRS = Numerical Pain Rating Scale score; ODI = Oswestry Disability Index score; OR = Odds Ratio; PGIC = Patient Global Impression of Change.