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Abstract
The authors identify localized neuropathy in the back (radiculopathy) by clinical features of autonomic dysfunction, trophedema, and trophic and motor changes, followed by dry needling exploration.
They made a retrospective study 119 patients with low back pain who had tried physical therapies without success.
Every patient revealed neuropathic/radiculopathic signs. In 83 these were more prominent in the upper lumbar spine. Of these, 47 also had low back findings. All were treated by dry needling and were given an average of 9.3 treatments.
We propose that back pain remains a greater problem than it needs to be, because neuropathic features are not generally recognized. This series shows that signs of upper lumbar radiculopathy are likely to be present in cases who have failed standard therapy. Treatment to achieve desensitization by stimulation appears to give good results.