Intra-articular facet injections of hypertonic saline and subsequent pain reproduction was performed by Hirsch in 1963 1) supporting the role of facet joints in lower back pain.

1)
HIRSCH C, INGELMARK BE, MILLER M. The anatomical basis for low back pain. Studies on the presence of sensory nerve endings in ligamentous, capsular and intervertebral disc structures in the human lumbar spine. Acta Orthop Scand. 1963;33:1-17. PubMed PMID: 13961170.