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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 "They made me feel comfortable when I had my injection" Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Dr. Charlu and his team are very good and compassionate with their patients." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "My pain is gone right now. Explains everything she is doing." Provider: Kimberly Safman MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Entire staff is very friendly, professional and cares about my care." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "He and team really listened." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Very positive experience, she even remembered me from several years ago." Provider: Kimberly Safman MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Dr and his team always listen and remember me and my various problems ...I don't feel like a stranger" Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "I felt like the entire team was very caring." Provider: Kimberly Safman MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "It's clear to me that Dr. Charlu is extremely good at what he does, and truly cares for me. The team is always upbeat, kind, anxious, and able to help me." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Every one I came in contact with at Dr Safman office was absolutely some of the best medical staff I ever encountered, can't say enough good things about them." Provider: Kimberly Safman MD
  • Spinal Injections Epidural/Facet "Friendly and informative team and great results." Provider: Balaji (Bobby) S Charlu MD
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