In response to the announcement that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is conducting a systematic review of cervical degenerative disease treatment, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA Pain Medicine) has shared the Consensus Practice Guidelines on Interventions for Cervical Spine (Facet) Joint Pain From a Multidisciplinary International Working Group.

The guidelines which were published in 2021 are the result of the work of 18 stakeholder societies charged with developing neck pain guidelines. A modified Delphi method was used to find consensus on 17 out of 20 questions dealing with various aspects of the use of cervical spine joint procedures. The guidelines concluded that "cervical medial branch radiofrequency ablation may provide benefit to well-selected individuals, with medial branch blocks being more predictive than intra-articular injections."

ASRA Pain Medicine is dedicated to advocating for the best evidence-based treatments in the treatment of all patients experiencing pain. By sharing these guidelines, the AHRQ will have the best available evidence to make conduct its review.