I have von willie brands disease and need assistance with my back. i have had l5/s1 fused in 2012 but i have chronic pain in my legs and now the neurosurgeon is suggesting lumbar facet injections to manage my pain. is it a good idea?

See details: Facet injections can be tried but they usually do not provide significant long term relief.

Facet blocks: A lumbar facet joint block is an injection of local anesthetic (numbing medicine) into one or more of the small joints located along the side of each vertebrae on both sides of the spine in the lower part of the back. Multiple injections may be performed, depending upon how many joints are involved.

Possibly: Injecting the facet joints can help therapeutically, but they can help in the diagnosis of the cause of your pain as well. If the injections help a lot, it suggests that the pain is caused by the facets. If the shots don’t last you can then denervate the facet joints by radio frequency ablation and theses nerves can take up to two years to grow back.