Facet Joint Pain Relief
Facet joints in the spine appear between and behind the vertebrae, and they help to provide flexibility and movement. When these joints become damaged or inflamed, they cause severe back pain that occurs when an individual bends or rotates their spine. There are several conditions that can create pain in the facet joints, which is why medical professionals perform facet & medial branch blocks to diagnose if the facet joint is the source of back pain.
What Is a Facet and Medial Branch Block?
Facet joints in the spine appear between and behind the vertebrae, and they help to provide flexibility and movement. However, when these joints become damaged or inflamed, they cause severe back pain that occurs when an individual bends or rotates their spine. There are several conditions that can create pain in the facet joints, which is why the pain management professional performs medial branch blocks to diagnose if the facet joint is the source of back pain.
A medial branch block is typically a diagnostic procedure that works by injecting a numbing medicine into the medial nerves connected to the facet joints. If there is significant pain relief after the injection, then the facet joint can be diagnosed as the source of the previous back pain.
Who Is an Ideal Candidate?
An ideal candidate for a facet block can be any individual who is experiencing:
- Significant back pain when bending or twisting their spine.
- Chronic neck pain when bending or twisting the spine.
The pain medical professional may suggest a medical branch block as a diagnostic test and if it is successful, other treatments may be recommended. A medial branch block can help determine if a facet rhizotomy may be a successful next step in treating back pain. The pain management professional can consult with you to help you decide if a medical branch block is the best form of treatment for you.
Procedure Technique
A medial branch block is performed as an outpatient procedure with the patient under a local anesthetic. The pain management professional will guide a small needle into the correct position using a fluoroscopy x-ray. Once the needle is placed over the medial branch nerve, The pain management professional will inject the numbing anesthetic into the nerve. Several nerves can be completed with one treatment.
What to Expect Post-Treatment
Following the procedure, patients may need to be monitored before they are allowed to leave the outpatient center. They may also need to perform specific movements and record their pain levels to ensure the procedure's success. Typically, pain relief can be felt within hours following the procedure, but results may vary from patient to patient. A follow-up appointment with The pain management professional will be held so that he can recommend further treatment options.
Diagnose Your Pain
Neck and back pain can originate from several different conditions and locations in the spine. The pain management professional can help diagnose and treat your chronic pain using a medial branch block procedure, which works by finding the exact source of your pain.
Precision Pain Care and Rehabilitation has two convenient locations in Richmond Hill – Queens and New Hyde Park – Long Island. Call the Queens office at (718) 215-1888, or (516) 419-4480 for the Long Island office, to arrange an appointment with our Interventional Pain Management Specialist, Dr. Jeffrey Chacko.
