Facet Injections
Facet injections are a minimally-invasive non-surgical spine treatment for several conditions causing neck and back pain. It works by reducing the inflammation and irritation in the facet joints causing the pain. The most common conditions treated with facet joint injections are spinal stenosis, herniated disc, sciatica, and spondylolysis.
What are facet joints?
The spine is comprised of bones called vertebrae. Each vertebrae has two pairs of facet joints located on the back of the spine on each side of the vertebrae. One pair points up and connects with the vertebrae above while the other pair points down connecting with the vertebrae below.
The facet joints provide stability and enable the spine to bend and twist. They consist of the two surfaces of the adjacent vertebrae, separated by a thin layer of cartilage. The joint is surrounded by a sac-like capsule filled with synovial fluid which is a lubricating liquid that nourishes the cartilage and reduces the friction between the two bone surfaces when the spine moves.
Injury to any of these above structures that form a joint may cause swelling and pain. The swelling may also apply some pressure on nerves as they exit the spinal cord which may result, as a consequence, in local pain or “radiating pain” that spreads down the limbs.
Facet Injection Procedure
A facet joint injection is a shot directly into the joint. The shot contains a small amount of anesthetic (lidocaine, bupivacaine) and a steroid to reduce the inflammation. The entire facet joint injections procedure takes approximately 15 minutes.
The main difference between facet injections and epidural steroid injections is the location where the medicine is injected.
Our Spine Surgeons have been performing facet injection procedures for years in Boca Raton. For a preferred specialist in Boca Raton, call 561-549-9090.