Lumbar Facet Joint Injections: Benefits and Uses
Introduction: Lumbar facet joint injections are straightforward injection procedures used to diagnose and treat pain thought to relate to the facet joints in the lower back, often caused by arthritis or injury.
1. Diagnosis: Facet joint injections help determine if the pain is originating from the facet joints by injecting a local anesthetic. Pain relief indicates a positive diagnosis.
2. Pain Relief: Steroids injected into the facet joint reduce inflammation and provide lasting pain relief for weeks or months, allowing patients to engage in physical therapy and daily activities.
3. Minimally Invasive: The procedure involves a small needle, guided by fluoroscopy (xray) making it really truly minimally invasive
4. Short Recovery Time: Patients typically experience rapid recovery, with minor or minimal post-procedure pain and a quick return to prior activities.
Lumbar facet joint injections are valuable diagnostic and therapeutic tool for lower back pain, offering benefits such as pain relief, minimal invasiveness, and short recovery times.
In general however these types of injection provide only a varying degree and time period of improvement and if the pain is not coming from the facets or the inflammation or degeneration too severe there my be no real beneift.
