Facet Joint Injection

Facet joint pain occurs when one or more of the facet joints in your neck or back become irritated and swollen. A facet joint injection may help diagnose the source of a patient’s pain. It can also relieve pain and inflammation.

What is a Facet Joint?

Your spine is made up of small bones called vertebrae. Each vertebra has flat surfaces called facets that touch where the vertebrae fit together. The space where two facets meet creates a facet joint on each side of the vertebrae. Spinal facet joints contain a rich network of pain-sensing nerve fibers. These small, delicate joints are prone to injury, degeneration and inflammation, and may cause chronic neck and back pain independent of intervertebral discs and spinal nerve roots.

Facet Joint Injection Procedure

During a facet joint injection procedure, medication is injected into the facet joint space. The duration of pain relief from a facet joint injection procedure will vary depending on the medications injected. The facet joint injection procedure is typically performed as a test injection and can provide several hours of pain relief. It is also possible that you will receive the facet joint injection procedure for prolonged relief. You will need to discuss the facet joint injection procedure options with your doctor. Although rare, risks of a facet joint injection procedure may include infection, allergic reaction to the medications and nerve damage.

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