All of our procedures begin by injecting a small amount of local anesthetic through a very small needle. It feels like a small pinch and then a slight burning sensation as the local anesthetic starts to numb the skin. After numbing the skin, the needle from the procedure feels as if it has exerted a little pressure on the injection site. If you experience any pain during the procedure, the doctor will inject more local anesthetic as needed.
After the injection, you may feel immediate pain relief. However, this is not always the case. It's not uncommon for patients to experience some pain and bruising at the injection site. This is normal and should resolve within a few days.
You may also be given an ice pack or a compression bandage to relieve any swelling. Fairoaks Medical Building 4001 Fair Ridge Dr Suite 202 Fairfax, VA, 22033 Montrose Rode Building 7811 Montrose Road Suite 220 Potomac, MD, 20854.What could possibly go wrong? There are several complications that can occur during or after facet joint injection. Injection procedures are safe and unlikely to cause complications, but no procedure is 100% foolproof. This document doesn't provide a complete list of potential complications, but it highlights some of the most common problems.
Complications are rare, but you should know what to watch out for if they occur. Allergic reaction. As with most procedures where medications are injected, there is always a risk of an allergic reaction. Commonly injected medications include lidocaine, bupivicaine, radiographic dye, and cortisone.
Allergic reactions can be as simple as developing hives or a rash. They can also be life-threatening and restrict breathing. Most allergic reactions occur immediately while you are in the procedure room, so help is immediately available in these cases. Most reactions are treated and do not cause permanent damage.
You should tell your doctor if you have known allergies to any of these medications, an infection. Several types of infections are possible complications of facet joint injections. Every time a needle is inserted through the skin, there is a chance of infection. Before any injection is performed, the skin is cleaned with a disinfectant and the healthcare provider who performs the injection uses what is called a sterile technique.
This means that the needle and the area where the needle is inserted remain intact by anything other than sterile. The provider may also use sterile gloves. Infections can occur just under the skin, in a muscle, or in the facet joint. You should watch for signs of infection, which are increased redness, swelling, pain, and fever.
Almost all infections will need to be treated with antibiotics. If an abscess forms, a surgical procedure may be needed to drain pus from the abscess. Antibiotics will also be needed to treat infection, nerve damage. Many pain injections are done close to the nerves.
The facet joint injection is one of the safest spinal injections because the needle is usually not close to the spinal nerves. However, sometimes the needle used to give the injection can accidentally impact a nerve. This can damage the nerve and cause increased pain. Numbness and weakness may also occur.
Nerves that have been punctured with a needle usually recover and do not require any additional surgical procedures. Increased pain: Not all injections work as expected. This may be due to increased spasms in the muscles surrounding the injection. The increase in pain is usually temporary and lasts for a few hours or a few days.
Once the medication has a chance to work, the injection may work as expected and reduce pain. Increased pain that begins several days after the injection may be a sign of infection. You should tell your doctor if this happens. If you suffer from chronic back or neck pain, you may be a good candidate for facet joint injections.
Your doctor recommends an injection into the facet joint to try to determine if your joints are causing your back pain. When one or more facet joints deteriorate for any reason, the pain may radiate to other areas of the body. During an injection into the facet joint, medications that are usually injected include a local anesthetic and cortisone. In addition to back pain, pain caused by degeneration of the facet joints of the lumbar spine can radiate to the buttocks and back of the thigh.
To perform an injection into the facet joint, the doctor inserts a needle into the facet joint so that the tip of the needle is inside the joint. They all involve injecting an anesthetic and a long-lasting anti-inflammatory steroid into the facet joint. The joint capsule is made up of ligaments and connective tissues that help hold the joint together. Bicycling, water aerobics, water running or other low-impact activities are often the most appropriate, especially after an injection into the facet joint.
Facet joint blocks are generally ordered for patients who have pain primarily in the back as a result of arthritic changes in facet joints or for patients who have mechanical low back pain. If facet back joint movement is determined to be limited, encouraging greater movement may help relieve pain. This is a good way to strengthen your back muscles and determine if the injection was given into the correct facet joint. If the facet joint is injected and the pain goes away for several hours, this indicates to the doctor that it is very likely that the joint or its closely related tissues are causing the pain.
Very small needles are placed inside the joint capsule and a small volume (usually about 1 ml) is placed in each joint. Facet joint injection is a minimally invasive treatment that relieves pain over a long period of time and helps the doctor identify the source of the pain. . .
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