The prevalence of cervical zygapophyseal joint pain. A first approximation.

A null hypothesis was tested to the effect that cervical zygapophyseal joint pain was uncommon. The prospectively recorded responses were reviewed of 318 consecutive patients with intractable neck pain who underwent provocation discography and cervical zygapophyseal joint blocks. Symptomatic zygapophyseal joints were encountered in 25% of the sample with a possibility that a further 38% suffered zygapophyseal pain but were not appropriately investigated. The null hypothesis was rejected. Cervical zygapophyseal joint pain is not rare, and is worthy of further consideration not just in research but in clinical practice.