What is a facet joint injection exactly?
Facet joint injections consists of steroid also known as cortisone being injected into the small joints of the spine that are causing pain. They’re about the size of a thumbnail and there is one of bilaterally at each level of the spine.
What purpose does the facet injections serve?
The facet joints develop arthritis just like any other joint in the body, and arthritis is one of the biggest problems in America today. As people age arthritis develops or it may develop after a traumatic incident, and if arthritis develops in one facet joint typically it develops in multiple.
That the patient is dealing with pain in a facet joint, surgery is not a great option sense no procedure exists yet which can replicate the facet joint range of motion. Facet injection may provide pain relief analogous to when patients get an injection into their hip, shoulder or in knee.
How long does a facet injection take?
Typically when a person is getting a facet joint injection they are receiving it into more than one arthritic joint. Each joint may only take a few minutes to inject, but when you add up the multiple joints being injected the procedure may take about half an hour.
What exactly is being injected with a facet injection?
When a facet injection is done numbing medicine such as lidocaine is typically included along with the cortisone. There are numerous steroids that pain management doctors utilize and usually comes down to what is the doctor’s personal preference. Options include methylprednisolone, triamcinolone, or Celestone.
Does a facet injection hurt?
A needle has to be placed through the skin to do a facet injection. So there may be some discomfort along with that however most pain doctors will play some numbing medicine just underneath the skin and soft tissues going down to the joint. So the injection should not be too painful. Patients may also receive IV sedation which may help them not even remember the procedure.
Is anesthesia necessary for a facet injection?
Mostly, individuals do not need sedation to receive a facet joint injection. However if the individual has anxiety problems, maybe claustrophobia, not having the sedation may cause problems with the procedure. Rather than giving the patient and IV, a good middle of the road idea is to give patients value him by mouth prior to the procedure by about 30 min.
How’s the injection performed?
The vast majority of the time people are placed prone for the procedure. Typically a fluoroscopy is used which is a real-time x-ray machine to help ensure needle placement accuracy.
The area overlying the injection is sterilized and typically vital signs were monitored during the procedure especially if IV sedation is used. After the procedure, the patient is watched for a time. Then they are allowed to go home and usually the patient will need a ride to get home.
Can patients go back to work the next day?
The vast majority of patients will be able to go back to work the following day after a facet injection. If IV sedation is not used, the patient could actually go back to work the same day if desired.
How long will the pain relief last after a facet injection?
Pain relief with an injection into the facet joints is extremely variable. It may last a few months, or may only last a few days. There really is no great way to predict the duration of pain relief.
Can a procedure be repeated if the pain relief wears off?
The answer is yes. If the medication wears off after a few months and the pain comes back. Along with this, the patient may benefit from a radiofrequency ablation procedure which can triple the amount of pain relief and that could be well over a year.
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