Facet joints are joints in the back of the spine, which can cause significant pain in the neck, mid back and lower back areas.  These injections are done with the help of special x-ray machine, called C-Arm, which is used to direct the needle precisely over to the joints or the associated nerves, which supply these joints.  With the combination of local anesthetic and steroids, in most cases the pain relief is quite significant and immediate and this can happen with minimum risk of side effects.  Occasionally these joints can be treated with either heat denervation of the nerves or ligament proliferative therapy, which can result in significant long-term pain relief although simple injections may be sufficient in most patients to give an excellent relief lasting a significant period of time.


For pictures of the facet joint injections, please refer to the link on SPINAL INJECTIONS.