Lumbar Facet Joint Pain

The first clinical research effort under this initiative is a pilot randomized controlled trial comparing intra-periarticular lumbar facet platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection to standard-of-care medial branch radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for chronic lumbar facet-mediated pain. The study is designed to: * Use contemporary best-practice techniques for both treatment arms * Minimize incremental risk beyond standard care * Generate feasibility, safety, and preliminary comparative effectiveness data * Inform future definitive trials and potential program expansion