ABSTRACT
Thoracic facet joints have been implicated as the source of chronic pain in 45 to 48% of patients with chronic thoracic pain. 1 , 2 These figures were based on responses to controlled diagnostic blocks of these joints, in accordance with the criteria established by the International Association for the Study of Pain. 3 The role of thoracic facet joints in chronic upper or mid back pain has received very little attention with only a few publications discussing these joints as the source of pain. 1 , 2 , 4–11 Even though thoracic spinal pain is less common, it can be as chronic and disabling as neck and low back pain. In the interventional pain management environment, the proportion of patients with thoracic disorders is relatively small, ranging from 3 to 22%. 12 , 13 Linton et al. 14 estimate the prevalence of all spinal pain in the general population as 66%, with 15% reporting thoracic pain, 44% reporting neck pain, and 56% reporting low back pain.
