Cervical Facet Injection

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Cervical Facet Injection

Treatment for Pain in

Neck

Upper Back

Shoulder

Head & Face

Facet joints are used to connect the vertebrae and they help guide your spine as you move. They are found on both sides of the spine and are named for the vertebrae they connect and the side of the spine in which they are found. For example, the left C2-3 facet joins the second and third vertebrae on the left side of the spine.

Cervical facet joint pain can range from simple muscle tension to severe pain, and is dependent upon the injury and the joint that is affected. The injury can include the cartilage inside the joint itself or just the connecting ligaments surrounding the joint, with pain occurring from your head down to your shoulder blade.

Procedure

In a cervical facet injection, an anesthetic and steroid are injected into one or more of your cervical facet joints. The benefit of this injection can be twofold. The anesthetic and steroid may be injected to see if they temporarily relieve your pain. If they do, it tells the physician which facet joint is causing your pain (a diagnostic benefit). On the other hand, the steroid is used to treat inflammation of the facet joint (a therapeutic benefit).

The procedure may start with an IV to help you relax and a local anesthetic to numb your skin. The physician then inserts a very thin needle directly into the facet joint. Fluoroscopy, a type of X-ray, is used to ensure proper needle placement, and a dye may also be injected to make sure the needle is in the correct spot. Once the needle is correctly placed, the physician injects the anesthetic and steroid.

You will be monitored following the injection, at which time you will be given your discharge instructions and be allowed to leave the clinic. You may notice immediate relief and numbness in your neck for a few hours after the injection, which means the medication has reached the correct spot. It’s normal for your pain to return after this initial pain-free period, and it may even worsen for a day or two. You may be able to return to work the following day, but always make sure to consult your physician.

The steroid will start working after a couple of days but can sometimes take up to a week. Relief varies from person to person and depends on the amount of inflammation involved. Sometimes, this injection brings several months of pain relief, and sometimes long-term relief is acquired.

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