Facet joints are made up of the two surfaces of adjacent vertebrae, which are separated by a thin layer of cartilage. The joint is surrounded by a capsule containing synovial fluid.
Facet joints can become painful due to arthritis of the spine, a back injury, or mechanical stress of the back.
An injection of a steroid medication is given into the facet joint, which anaesthetises the joint and blocks the pain.
There are two reasons for having facet joint injections:
1) For diagnosis
2) For pain relief
To determine if the facet joint is the cause of the pain, a small amount of anaesthetic is injected into the facet joint. If this reduces or moves pain, it indicates that the facet joint is the source of the pain.
Once it’s known that the facet joint is the source of the pain, therapeutic injections (anaesthetic and anti-inflammatory, usually time-release cortisone) may give relief for longer periods of time. The pain relief from a facet joint injection is intended to help the patient better tolerate other forms of treatment (such as physiotherapy) to rehabilitate their back injury.
Extra info:
Where pain is felt due to facet joint problems depends on which facet joints are affected:
• Cervical facet joints: pain felt in the head, neck, shoulder and/or arm
• Thoracic facet joints: pain felt in upper back, chest and/or arm (rarely)
• Lumbar facet joints: pain felt in lower back, hip, buttock and/or leg
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