Facet Blocks
Do you suffer from neck pain that has failed to improve with time and/or conservative therapy? If so you may be a candidate for this quick and simple treatment option.
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Do you suffer from neck pain that has failed to improve with time and/or conservative therapy? If so you may be a candidate for this quick and simple treatment option.
A facet block is an injection of local anesthetic (numbing medicine) into one or more of the small joints located along the side of each vertebrae on both sides of the spine and can be used to provide relief from a variety of conditions including: neck pain, low back pain, leg pain, buttock pain or sciatica. Multiple injections may be performed, depending upon how many joints are involved.
Facet blocks are simple and relatively painless procedures. Treatments take only minutes to perform and the relief can be exceptional. As a minimally-invasive procedure, the risk of scar tissue is virtually nonexistent.
This treatment provides rapid pain relief and allows patients to become active again, regaining the ability to resume normal daily activities.
Another benefit is that they can be used as a diagnostic test to see if the pain is actually coming from the facet joints. If your pain disappears with the injection then it is clear that the pain is originating from the joint; however, if your pain is unresponsive then this gives us information that can help us in diagnosing your condition further.
In Facet Joint Injections, the medication is injected directly into the joint.
The facet joint of the spine is a moveable connection that connects one vertebra (bone of the spine) to another. This injection includes both a long-lasting steroid and an anesthetic (lidocaine, bupivacaine). The steroid reduces the inflammation and irritation and the anesthetic works to numb the pain. The combination medicine then spreads to other levels and portions of the spine, reducing inflammation and irritation. The entire procedure usually takes less than 15 minutes.
Two or three treatments are required for most patients.
Positive effects can occur within two to three days, however most patients will start to see results after the second injection.
If you suffer from chronic neck pain that has gone on for more than four weeks contact us today. We will schedule an appointment with one of our Board Certified Physicians, to see if this treatment is a good fit for you. Early treatment can increase your chances of success and decrease the likelihood of the pain worsening over time.