Small parts of your spine, called facet joints, help you move. When they get hurt or swollen, they can cause pain. At Summit Orthopedics, spine specialists can give you a shot called a facet joint injection to help you feel better. Let our experts in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area help you live with less pain.
What Is a Facet Joint Injection?
A facet joint injection is a shot of medicine into a small joint in your spine. Sometimes, injuries or conditions like arthritis can cause pain in these joints. A facet joint injection can reduce the pain, so it’s easier to do daily activities.
Facet injections, also called facet blocks or facet joint shots, are different from epidural steroid injections[1] . Epidural steroid injections send medicine between the covering of the spinal cord and vertebrae (bones in the spine). Facet joint injections go into the small joints in the spine.
You can get these shots at any level of the spine. Cervical facet injections treat pain in the neck (cervical spine). Thoracic facet injections help the middle back (thoracic spine). Lumbar facet injections work in the lower back (lumbar spine).
A facet joint injection won’t cure your pain. It can, however, make the pain go away for weeks or months. You can get up to four facet shots a year.
How a Facet Joint Injection Can Help You
A facet joint injection can offer pain relief, sometimes for a long time, so you can feel like yourself again.
This treatment can help by:
- Giving medical providers clues about what’s causing your pain, based on how well the shot works
- Helping you do more activities
- Improving your mood as the pain gets better
- Making you feel more comfortable
- Stopping you from needing surgery
Who Can Get the Injection?
A facet joint injection may be right for you if you have ongoing pain and your medical provider thinks it’s from these small joints. They will likely try other ways to help first, like medications or physical therapy. If those don’t work, your provider may suggest a facet joint injection.
What to Expect
Before your facet joint injection, you’ll need to do a few simple things, like stopping some medicines. The shot is quick, usually less than 30 minutes. Afterward, you’ll rest for a short time before going home.
Before Treatment
- Have someone drive you to and from the procedure center.
- Follow your care team’s rules about when to stop eating or drinking.
- Tell your spine specialist about any allergies, health problems and the medicines you take.
- Stop taking certain medications before your procedure if your physician tells you to.
- Tell your care team if you feel sick prior to the procedure so they can reschedule.
During Treatment
You may receive medicine to help you relax (sedation). You will lie face down on a treatment table. Nurses will clean the injection site and numb the area with a local anesthetic.
To give the facet joint injection, the spine specialist will:
- Put the needle into the joint using a special X-ray called fluoroscopy, a type of imaging guidance
- Inject a dye to make sure the needle is in the right place
- Inject a steroid into the joint
- Take out the needle and bandage the spot
After Treatment
You will stay in the recovery area for up to 30 minutes before going home.
What Are the Long-Term Effects of Facet Joint Injections?
Facet joint injections have a small chance of side effects, including:
- A feeling of warmth for a few days after the injection
- A fever of less than 100 F
- A temporary rise in blood sugar levels for people with diabetes
- Bleeding
- Difficulty sleeping
- Elevated blood pressure
- Facial flushing
- Fluid retention
- Headache
- Infection
- Mood changes
- Temporary changes to women’s period
Recovery
Take it easy for a few hours after your procedure. While you shouldn’t do hard exercise, light activity is OK. Only take showers for the first 24 hours. Don’t soak in a bathtub.
The spot may be sore in the days after the injection. To make it feel better, put ice packs on it for 15 minutes a few times a day. If you see signs of infection, such as warmth or swelling, let your care team know.
You may feel the full pain relief from the shot in just a few days. Sometimes, though, it can take up to two weeks. Some people feel better for a short time. Others get long-lasting pain relief.
Facet Joint Injection at Summit Orthopedics
As one of the largest groups of spine care experts in Minnesota, Summit Orthopedics has the skills and experience to help you find a solution to neck and back pain. Our specialists routinely perform facet joint injections and other minimally invasive procedures safely and seamlessly. We put you at the center of care, which is why we’ve earned a 99% patient satisfaction rate.
Summit Orthopedics surgeons are available at nearly 30 convenient locations across the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Our state-of-the-art, comprehensive orthopedic centers offer same-day appointments from a team of experts who offer the full scope of orthopedic care, including facet joint injection.
Find your Summit Orthopedics back, neck and spine care expert, request an appointment, or call us at (651) 968-5201 to schedule a consultation.
