No intervention: No intervention will be given in our study since, the investigators are recruiting people who will receive already a facet thermal ablation.
Study summary
The goal of this observational study is to better understand the role of the brain in chronic low back pain patients.
Eligibility
Sex
ALL
Min age
18 Years
Max age
75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion Criteria:
* Low back pain (≥ 6 months) with or without pain radiating to the legs or radiating to the neck
* Positive medial branch blocks, suggesting that the pain originates from the lumbar facet joints
* Average pain intensity of ≥ 3/10 in the 24-hour period before the initial visit
* Pain primarily localized in the lower back
Exclusion Criteria:
* Inadequate pain relief or relief of less than three months following selective thermoablation of medial lumbar branches by radiofrequency
* Neurological, cardiovascular, or pulmonary disorders
* Comorbid pain syndrome
* History of surgical intervention in the back
* A corticosteroid infiltration within the past year
* Pregnancy (current or planned during the course of the study)
* Contra-indication to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Primary outcome measure(s)
Change of Grey matter volume — Change from Baseline (1 week, 2 months and 4 months before their treatment) and after their treatment (at 2 months and 4 months post treatment) Grey matter volume (milliliters cube) will be measured by acquiring a T1weighted (T1w) image using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Change of Blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response — Change from Baseline (1 week, 2 months and 4 months before their treatment) and after their treatment (at 2 months and 4 months post treatment) Blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response will be measured by using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).
Change of Microstructural and connectivity properties of white matter tracts — Change from Baseline (1 week, 2 months and 4 months before their treatment) and after their treatment (at 2 months and 4 months post treatment) Microstructural and connectivity properties will be measured by using diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI).
Change of Brain's arteries system — Change from Baseline (1 week, 2 months and 4 months before their treatment) and after their treatment (at 2 months and 4 months post treatment) Brain vasculature will be measured by using Time-of-Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography (ToF MRA).
Change of Brain's venous system — Change from Baseline (1 week, 2 months and 4 months before their treatment) and after their treatment (at 2 months and 4 months post treatment) Brain vasculature will be measured by using Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI).
Trial sites (1)
Facility
City
Region
Status
Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CRCHUS)
This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.
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