An Overview of Facet Injections for Pain Management
Facet injections are the most common procedure by pain management doctors in Arizona. There are 2 reasons to do a facet injection. Number one is for a diagnostic reason to figure out if the joint is causing pain, and the second reason is for therapeutic reasons. Thankfully these often occur together, meaning a diagnostic injection, if it works, will give pain relief often for months.
In the human skeleton, there are facet joints bilaterally at every spinal level from the neck all the way down to the sacrum. These joints all contribute to the extreme ranges of motion possible for patients.
Like other joints in the body, they may develop arthritis and usually at multiple levels. This is termed facet syndrome if it generates pain in people.
If the person is deemed to have facet related pain, an AZ pain center doctor will typically do a diagnostic injection. This is performed with numbing agent and cortisone either right into the joint or around it. If it helps, then it is great diagnostically as it tells the doctor the facet joint was in fact leading to the pain. A medial branch block is when the shot goes around the joint and helps pain by numbing the sensory nerves bringing pain in, and this may also give months of pain relief.
If the pain relief is excellent and then wears off after a while, the person will then be a candidate for procedure called a radiofrequency ablation. This technique involves heating up the joints in order to deaden the tiny little nerve endings supplying pain. Pain relief from this procedure may last for up to 18 months, and it may be repeated if the pain comes back.
Whether or not facet syndrome is a real entity is debated. Also it is not clear cut whether facet injections should be done themselves for therapeutic reasons or simply diagnostically to see if an RF ablation is in order. Facet injections are typically approved for diagnostic reasons.
Surgery for facet arthritis in several joints is not a great idea, so seeking treatment from an Arizona pain management doctor to receive treatment with either a diagnostic injection for therapeutic injection and potentially even a radiofrequency ablation may be able to offer substantial pain relief and decrease a person's need for opiate medications.
In the human skeleton, there are facet joints bilaterally at every spinal level from the neck all the way down to the sacrum. These joints all contribute to the extreme ranges of motion possible for patients.
Like other joints in the body, they may develop arthritis and usually at multiple levels. This is termed facet syndrome if it generates pain in people.
If the person is deemed to have facet related pain, an AZ pain center doctor will typically do a diagnostic injection. This is performed with numbing agent and cortisone either right into the joint or around it. If it helps, then it is great diagnostically as it tells the doctor the facet joint was in fact leading to the pain. A medial branch block is when the shot goes around the joint and helps pain by numbing the sensory nerves bringing pain in, and this may also give months of pain relief.
If the pain relief is excellent and then wears off after a while, the person will then be a candidate for procedure called a radiofrequency ablation. This technique involves heating up the joints in order to deaden the tiny little nerve endings supplying pain. Pain relief from this procedure may last for up to 18 months, and it may be repeated if the pain comes back.
Whether or not facet syndrome is a real entity is debated. Also it is not clear cut whether facet injections should be done themselves for therapeutic reasons or simply diagnostically to see if an RF ablation is in order. Facet injections are typically approved for diagnostic reasons.
Surgery for facet arthritis in several joints is not a great idea, so seeking treatment from an Arizona pain management doctor to receive treatment with either a diagnostic injection for therapeutic injection and potentially even a radiofrequency ablation may be able to offer substantial pain relief and decrease a person's need for opiate medications.
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Want to find out more about pain management Chandler AZ, then visit Preferred Pain Center's site on how to choose the best pain clinics in arizona for your needs.
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