Whats bilateral lumbar facet injection?

Facet injections!: Although i used to give them, studies by deyo, et al, and others more recently, have shown little benefit over a systemic steroid injection. The injection is delivered to the facet joint, the true synovial joints of the spine. Facet joints problems are likely if you have pain with backward extension of your spine. If you get a bilateral injection, arthritis is seen bilaterally on x-ray!

For Back Pain: Lumbar facet injections are meant to be diagnostic and not therapeutic to see if the facets are the cause of back pain. They should always be done under fluoroscopic guidance and pain always should be recorded on a scale for 6 hours following the procedure. If greater than 50% relief for at least six hours this proves facet mediated pain and a rhizotomy may be indicated for longer lasting relief.

Low back joints: Bilateral lumbar facet injections are injections into low back joints called "facet joints" on both sides. There is a joint on each side of each vertebral bone that joins one bone to the next above and below. These are great for newer pain in those joints, but if the pain has been going on for years, radiofrequency ablation (aka rfa) of the medial branch nerves is a much better option usually.

Facet Injection: A facet injection is a minimally invasive procedure that can temporarily relieve back pain caused by inflamed facet joints. A facet injection includes both a long-lasting corticosteroid and an anesthetic numbing agent. The drugs are delivered to the painful facet joint, either inside the joint capsule or in the tissue surrounding the joint capsule.