Facet Injections / Blocks
Facet joints are relatively small joints at the back of your spine that support you and help with rotation and bending of the back. When they’re irritated or inflamed because of past or recent injuries or even arthritis they can feel anything but small. When your facet joints are irritated you can sometimes feel pain through your buttocks, hips and all the way down to the back of your thighs or your neck, head and shoulders!
A facet joint block or injection is a local anesthetic and steroidal treatment administered through targeted injection directly into the joint. When the injection is performed expertly it can decrease inflammation and irritation, decreasing your pain and restoring your range of motion. As the anesthetic drops off in about six hours you can sometimes feel a little pain return but that doesn’t mean your treatment was unsuccessful. That’s because the steroid, (the 2 of the 1,2 punch) can take up to 24-72 hours to take effect, in some cases it can even up to a week or so.
According to Spine-Health.com,
“The physician uses X-ray guidance, called fluoroscopy, to direct a small needle into the facet joint. Contrast dye is injected to confirm that the needle is positioned correctly in the facet joint and that medication is contained inside the joint.
Following this confirmation, a mixture of anesthetic, such as lidocaine, and anti-inflammatory medication, such as cortisone, is then slowly injected into the joint.
As with many spinal injection procedures, facet joint injections work better for some patients than for others. Often, a facet joint injection is combined with physical therapy to rehabilitate the back.”
Summa Pain Care offers facet joint injection as one of many pain relief options that can increase your quality of life and mobility .
As the premier pain management specialists in Arizona Summa Pain Care,
- Performs specialized tests for diagnosing your chronic pain conditions.
- Appropriately prescribes and/or manages medications to any unique conditions at varying levels of severity. Also help reduce or eliminate your prescription pain medications.
Find your nearest location in Peoria, Phoenix or North Scottsdale today and don’t put this off any longer. Unaddressed back and neck pain generally doesn’t improve. Call our Phoenix location at 623.580.4357 , you can reach Peoria at 623.776.8686 or contact us in North Scottsdale at 480.786.1771.