A facet joint injection is a shot of medicine to help with pain from arthritis. The injection goes into your neck or back. Where you get your shot depends on where your pain is.
Facet joints connect your vertebrae to each other along the back of your spine. Problems in these joints can cause long-term (chronic) pain in the neck or back.
Numbing medicine is injected into the facet joint to see if that is the cause of your pain. If it does help your pain, your doctor may add a steroid medicine to the injection. Steroids reduce swelling and pain, but they don't always work.
The procedure takes 10 to 30 minutes.
Procedures can be stressful. This information will help you understand what you can expect. And it will help you safely prepare for your procedure.
A facet joint injection is a shot of medicine to help with pain from arthritis or other causes. It goes into your neck or back, wherever your pain is. Facet joints connect your vertebrae to each other. You get a shot of numbing medicine, then a steroid medicine to reduce pain and swelling.
You will probably go home about an hour after your injection.
You may have numbness for a few hours. The numbness could be in your neck or back, or your arm or leg, depending on where you got the shot.
Your pain may be gone right away. But it may return after a few hours or days. This is because the steroid medicine has not started to work yet.
Steroids don't always work. And when they do, it takes a few days. But when they work, the pain relief can last for several days to a few months or longer.
You may want to do less than normal for a few days. But you may also be able to return to your daily routine. It's usually best to increase your activities slowly over time. Follow your doctor's instructions carefully.
Call 911 anytime you think you may need emergency care. For example, call if:
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
A facet joint injection is a shot of medicine to help with pain from arthritis. The injection goes into your neck or back. Where you get your shot depends on where your pain is.
Facet joints connect your vertebrae to each other along the back of your spine. Problems in these joints can cause long-term (chronic) pain in the neck or back.
You may have numbness for a few hours. The numbness could be in your neck, back, arm or leg. It depends on which facet joint was treated.
You may feel pain relief right away. Sometimes the pain returns after the numbing medicine wears off. Your shot may also have included a steroid. Steroids take a few days to work. And they don't work for everyone.
You may get medicine to help you relax. The doctor will use a tiny needle to numb the skin in the area where you are getting the facet joint injection.
After the skin is numb, your doctor will use a larger needle for the actual facet joint injection. The doctor will use computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, or X-rays to help guide the needle into the facet joint. You may feel some pressure. But you should not feel pain.
©2011-2024 Healthwise, Incorporated