A 44-year-old member asked:
can you tell me about having a facet block shot in your back?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Geoffrey Ndeto answered
Anesthesiology 45 years experience
Facetogenic pain ?: I assume you mean facet blocks in the low back and if so , i assume that your pain is along the low back vertical axis . Facet joints are the small joints between the vertebra and when inflamed , they can be a source of back pain. They can be blocked with local anesthetic so as to see if the pain goes away after the block. The blocks are therefore a diagnostic and therapeutic tool.
4229 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Qamar Khan answered
Pain Management 17 years experience
Facet Joint Pain: Radiofrequency procedures work well if a previous facet injection or medial branch block was performed with greater than 75-80% relief that was obtained. This is used to determine pain from facet joints. As with anything there are failures, but quite low if the block worked well. Risks are the same as with any spine procedure, no different. Rare that you would be worse off afterwards.
3890 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Jul 12, 2014
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