Facet Joint Injections
Here at Curian Medical our Curative Team are able to co-ordinate facet joint injections for patients utilising our extensive panel of medical experts.
We provide quotations for this treatment, which usually includes as part of the package a consultation, injection and follow up consultation.
The facet joints link together the bones in the back. They help to stabilise the spine and control the degree of movement. With age, they are prone to injury and deterioration and are a common cause of lower back pain, especially the type that is worse while sitting and improved by walking. Some people can develop pain in their back or neck that is due to aches, sprains, stresses, arthritis or damage to these joints. It is possible to inject a mixture of local anaesthetic and steroid into or near these joints to try and obtain pain relief. This is very similar to injections used for painful knees and tennis elbow.
Facet joint injections usually have two goals:
- to help diagnose the cause and location of pain
- provide pain relief
The injection procedure may also be called a facet block, as its purpose is to block the pain.
During a facet joint injection, a steroid medicine (which reduces inflammation) or a combination of a steroid and a local anaesthetic is injected into the joint. This can help to treat the pain, inflammation and any restriction of movement caused by the deterioration.
The exact location of each facet joint cannot always be determined by clinical examination. Consequently, these injections are performed using constant X-ray imaging (screening).
The patient takes a position lying on their front, their back is cleaned with antiseptic and the positions for injections are located using the X-ray machine. The skin is then numbed with local anaesthetic. Once this has taken effect the facet joints are injected with the steroid/local anaesthetic solution, again using the X-ray machine for guidance. Usually several joints are injected at any one time.
Facet joint injections can take up to two weeks to provide pain relief. The amount of pain relief gained varies between individuals and even in the same person at different times.
The duration of effect is also variable. Some people only get few weeks benefit, others many months. However any relief gained will be increased if the patient is more active during this period.
Do give Amanda O’Neill, our Business Development Director, a call on 07904 630054 if you would like to learn more about our further treatment offering. Amanda will be delighted to discuss the broad range of injections, surgeries and consultations available.
