facet joint injection

Cervical, thoracic and lumbar facet joint injections

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:09:59 -0800

Facet Block

spine-health — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:52:50 -0800

Definition

An injection of local anesthetic into a painful facet joint in the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine. A facet block usually has two goals: to help diagnose the cause and location of the pain and also to provide pain relief.

Typically, a mixture of anesthetic (such as lidocaine) and an anti-inflammatory medication (such as cortisone) is injected into the joint.

Related information

Injections
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Facet joint and epidural injections: doctor answers patient questions

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:09:59 -0800

The doctor is in!

Peter Ullrich, MD

Facet joint injection results and follow-up

Ben Parr — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:32:38 -0700

On the day a patient is to receive a facet joint injection, they are advised to avoid doing any strenuous activities, unless instructed by their physician. The patient should not drive the day of the injection unless approved by the treating physician. If sedation was used, the patient should not drive for 24 hours after the procedure.

Facet Joint Injections for Back Pain Relief Video

spine-health — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:19:41 -0800

Facet joints are small joints at each segment of the spine that provide stability and help guide motion. Facet joints can become painful due to arthritis, back injury, or mechanical stress. A facet joint injection delivers a steroid medication which anesthetizes the joints and blocks the pain. This interactive video gives a clear picture of a facet joint injection.

Injections for Back Pain Management

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:10:00 -0800

Selective nerve root block (SNRB) for diagnosis and back pain management

Another common injection, a selective nerve root block (SNRB), is primarily used to diagnose the specific source of nerve root pain and, secondarily, for therapeutic relief of low back pain and/or leg pain (see Figure 1).

Injections for Back Pain Relief

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:10:00 -0800

Injections comprise another relatively conservative treatment option for low back pain. They are typically considered as an option to treat low back pain after a course of medications and/or physical therapy is completed, but before surgery is considered. Injections can be useful both for providing pain relief and as a diagnostic tool to help identify the source of the patient’s back pain.

Medial Branch Nerve Blocks

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:09:59 -0800

Pain caused by the facet nerves

Radiofrequency Neurotomy for Facet and Sacroiliac Joint Pain

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:10:00 -0800

A radiofrequency neurotomy is a type of injection procedure in which a heat lesion is created on certain nerves with the goal of interrupting the pain signals to the brain, thus eliminating pain.

Treatment Options for Synovial Cysts

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:50:16 -0800

There are three main treatment choices for synovial cysts in the lumbar spine:

Observation and activity modifications
Injections
Surgery

Observation and activity modification

If the synovial cyst is not creating a lot of dysfunction or pain in the patient’s daily life, no medical treatments may be necessary. Since the pain is usually caused by certain positions, changing positions is a reasonable way to deal with the pain as long as a patient can still function adequately.

What You May Not Know About Chronic Pain Relief

spine-health — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:06:04 -0800

If you're suffering from chronic pain it's likely that you've tried quite a variety of treatment options in search of pain relief. To help you achieve a more manageable pain level, this newsletter explores a number of options that might apply to your unique pain experience.