If you're suffering from chronic back or neck pain that has lasted more than six weeks and other interventions haven't helped, your doctor may suggest that you try facet joint injections to try to relieve the pain. Facet joint injections contain a combination of powerful anti-inflammatory and numbing or anesthetic medications, and can help reduce pain and swelling in and around the joint. If the injections bring you significant relief, we can perform this procedure three times a year, if needed. The Spinal Diagnostics team knows when facet joint injections can help restore pain-free movement, and we've helped many patients regain their quality of life with this relatively simple treatment.
In some cases, medical imaging tests, such as MRIs or CT scans, may not detect inflammation or injury to the facet joint, so your doctor may suggest an injection to rule out that the facet joint is the source of pain. An injection into the facet joint is exactly what it sounds like: the doctor injects a medication to see if it helps relieve pain. Your provider may also inject a steroid medication into the facet joint. This quick and easy procedure gives you time to strengthen the supporting tissues around your facet joints through specific exercises and physical therapy.
It's hard to say how long the results will last, as some patients only need one round of injections per year, while others benefit from two or three. If facet joint injections don't relieve pain, there are other strategies you and your doctor can explore to try to relieve pain. Unfortunately, there is no cure for spinal osteoarthritis, but you can get help with facet joint injections and radiofrequency ablation.