Diagnostic facet injections are used in the diagnosis and treatment of facet disease, a condition brought on by degeneration of the facet joints. Your spinal vertebrae are linked by these joints and, oftentimes, when they are worn out your mobility is decreased and pain and inflammation sets in. Visit our facet disease causes page to educate yourself about spinal facet joints and causes of degeneration.

The procedure for giving diagnostic facet injections involves the patient first receiving a local anesthetic to the skin, followed by a needle inserted in the facet joint’s surrounding tissue or directly into the joint capsule. Diagnostic facet injections deliver both a long-lasting corticosteroid and an anesthetic to temporarily relieve the discomfort. If the patient experiences relief, it is likely that the facet joint is the cause of the pain. Side effects of the injection are minimal, and the procedure takes approximately 30 minutes.

If you are experiencing decreased mobility or pain in your joints, contact your physician. He or she can determine if your discomfort is due to facet joints through the use of diagnostic facet injections, a CT scan or an MRI. Once the diagnosis is complete, you’ll receive treatment recommendations, such as taking non-prescription medications like acetaminophen and engaging in physical therapy exercises. Other treatment choices can be found by visiting our facet disease treatments page.

However, there may be situations when patients need more relief than what these standard treatments provide. USA Spine Care offers minimally invasive procedures that provide quicker recuperation times, higher patient satisfaction scores and fewer risks than other treatments like traditional open back surgery. For your CT scan or MRI review and to learn more information about our facilities, contact us today.