WHAT IS IT?
Facet joints are the joints of the back bone and are oriented in a way that allows the neck to twist and rotate; the chest area to bend back and forward but only slightly twist, protecting the chest cavity; support the back and the weight of the body, absorbing shocks from jumping, running and walking; and creating limiting range in the back for lateral twisting. There are four facet joints per back bone. Just like any other joint in the body, facet joints can become injured and degenerative and create pain. The most common type of facet joint injury in the neck is whiplash and the most common type of facet joint pain in the low back is from wear and tear.
To help reduce facet joint pain, the physician can do a facet injection. The injection can be placed very precisely right into the join using x-ray. The physician confirms the injection is in the joint by placing a small quantity of dye (arthrogram) on the joint, and then injects the local anesthetic and
corticosteroid to take away inflammation and soreness. If the injection helps but the pain relief doesn’t last, it can be performed again. If the relief still doesn’t last after repeating the injection, the sensory nerve that goes to the joint can be disconnected using a technique that uses an electrical current to burn the nerve tissue and keeps the pain away for a month at a time, called radiofrequency neurolysis. Another injection called a medial branch injection can be used to diagnose facet joint pain by specifically targeting the sensory nerve that goes to the facet joint.
Facet joint injections are almost always combined with physical therapy to increase range of motion while the pain is reduced. This helps return the area to normal function much faster.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
There is some risk of nerve damage, bleeding and infection.