Papers of the Week

This article comprehensively covers 3 major novel technologies and techniques in the management of chronic lower back pain. The first 2 procedures, percutaneous interspinous spacer implantation, and minimally invasive lumbar decompression have shown significant impact in the management of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), especially in patients who are not great surgical candidates or are otherwise not amenable to open spinal surgery. The wealth of data for these procedures continues to increase, with up to 4 to 6-year follow-up data recently being made available. A novel solution for vertebrogenic back pain is also discussed as follow-up data emphasizes the safety and sustainability of the procedure. This article also establishes a framework for evaluating novel technologies in interventional pain management.