Cluneal nerve syndrome: a systematic literature review

Abstract

This systematic literature review aimed to elucidate the cluneal nerve syndrome (CNS) emphasizing the aspects and factors of low back pain caused by it. The anatomy of the cluneal nerve, the symptoms, the forms of diagnosis, and the differential diagnoses of CNS were searched on Public/Publisher MEDLINE (PubMed), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrievel System Online (MEDLINE), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) databases, and Periodicals of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), in order to understand the main forms of treatment and provide new evidence on this neuralgia. Due to the scarcity of articles on this theme, filters for text and study type, publication date, and language were not selected. Based on the results obtained, the most frequent symptoms in patients presenting with low back pain due to CNS are those that radiate to the legs and are exacerbated by different movements. The diagnosis is mainly clinical using trigger point injection to understand which nerve is affected. The differential diagnoses include herniated lumbar disc, spinal disorders, facet joint syndrome, and iliolumbar syndrome. The main forms of treatment identified are nerve block, neurolysis, and radiofrequency ablation. More studies are needed to provide greater benefits to patients.