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Facet Joint Pain

The Facet Joint connects the posterior elements of the spine and is prone to degenerative changes. The facet joint carries up to 1/3 of the loading force of the lumbar spine. Osteoarthritis of the joints leads to cartilage fissures, fraying and erosions. Hereotopic Growth (bony spurs) leads to instability and inflammation. Degeneration of the Facet Joints account for approximately 10-15% of the cases with chronic low back pain.1

Symptoms of Facet Joint Pain Include:

  • Constant aching
  • Dull or sharp pain
  • Pain worsens with movement
  • Localized pain, but can refer pain to the hip or buttock area

The common types of nonsurgical treatments for facet joint pain are:

  • Lumbar Facet Block is procedure where medicine is injected directly into the joint.
  • Cervical Facet Block is procedure where medicine is injected into the cervical facet joint.
  • Medial Branch Block is a procedure where the facet joints are "innervated" by sensory nerves that come off the posterior aspect of the corresponding spinal nerve. These small sensory nerves "dorsal ramus medial branches form a lattice work sensation of the facet joints. Local anesthetic block of the Medial Branch Block can temporarily interrupt the pain signal carried to a specific facet joint.

Reference

1. Pope JE, Cheng J. Facet (Zygapophyseal) Intraarticular Joint Injections: Cervical, Lumbar, and Thoracic. Injections for Back Pain. 129-135. ClinicalKey.com. Accessed July 16, 2019.
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  • Interventional Procedure "Dr. Safman is caring and communicates well. The discomfort from the spinal injection is very minor. She makes it an easy procedure." Provider: Kimberly Safman MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "The professional care done with a sense of warmth and humor." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "My appointments have always been professional, caring, and on time." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Positivity. They want you to get better and suggest things that need to be done." Provider: Kimberly Safman MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "The entire experience was above and beyond, even the fun banter during the actual procedure. I really appreciate the post procedure follows! Thanks to the entire team, well done" Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Her concern and daily check ins." Provider: Kimberly Safman MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "They answered every question and took a genuine interest and concern for me." Provider: Kimberly Safman MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Such a great staff and doctors" Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Everything was positive! The assistant who showed me to my room and took my vitals was friendly and knowledgeable. Dr. Charlu and his assistant were professional and kind." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Just explaining what he was doing during the procedure made it very easy." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Cared about me during procedure." Provider: Kimberly Safman MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "He explained my condition well and educating me further. Also he and his team were very caring." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
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