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Facet Joint Injections Specialist

NovaSpine Pain Institute -  - Pain Management

NovaSpine Pain Institute

Pain Management in Sun City, Sun City West, Glendale and Gilbert, Arizona

Pain in your neck or back can arise due to arthritis in the vertebral joints of your spine. Known as facet joint pain, this condition can make it difficult to walk, stand, and sit comfortably. The experts at NovaSpine Pain Institute can diagnose and treat facet joint pain with injections. The team offers facet joint injections and other spinal injections at the offices in Sun City West, Sun City, Gilbert, and Glendale, Arizona. To end your struggles with neck or back pain, schedule an evaluation with a skilled specialist. Call the office nearest you today or use the online contact form.

Facet Joint Injections Q & A

What is facet joint pain?

Facet joint pain typically arises from arthritic conditions in the cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back), and lumbar (lower back) regions of the spine. Your vertebrae are connected to one another by facet joints. 

When arthritis causes the joint capsule to break down, it removes the cushioning between your vertebrae, resulting in pain and inflammation.

What are the symptoms of facet joint pain?

Symptoms of facet joint pain include:

  • Neck pain or stiffness
  • Lower or middle back pain
  • Grinding sounds due to bone hitting bone
  • Headaches
  • Muscle spasms
  • Pain that radiates into the shoulder, arm, hip, or leg
  • Pain that’s worse after inactivity

Facet joint conditions can also cause nerve impingement resulting in symptoms like tingling, numbness, burning sensations, weakness, and/or loss of balance.

What are facet joint injections?

Facet joint injections contain an anesthetic and a corticosteroid that reduce pain and inflammation. These injections can be used to both diagnose and treat facet joint pain.

Diagnostic facet joint injections help your doctor identify the specific joints that are causing your pain, using pain relief as the primary identifying factor. If the injection relieves your pain in a specific facet joint, your diagnosis is confirmed.

A similar injection, called a medial branch block, uses only an anesthetic to diagnose facet joint pain.

Therapeutic facet joint injections can provide relief from pain for days, weeks, or months. However, your specialist could recommend another option like radiofrequency ablation for long-term relief of facet joint pain.

What happens during a facet joint injection procedure?

The skilled specialists at NovaSpine Pain Institute carry out all spinal injections in the office using fluoroscopic (X-ray) imaging for guidance. 

At the beginning of your appointment, you change into a hospital gown and recline on a table while your expert positions the fluoroscope over you and determines the precise site for your injections.

Your specialist checks in with you while injecting the medication into your spine. If you experience several hours of relief after two separate injections, your diagnosis of facet joint pain is considered positive.

If you suffer from pain in your neck or lower back, facet joint injections offer relief and a conclusive diagnosis.

To schedule an evaluation with an experienced specialist at NovaSpine Pain Institute, call the office today or use the online contact form.