Facet Joint Injections

Facet Joint Injections are administered both for a therapeutic and diagnostic purpose, and can, as with the epidural steroid injections, be targeted to the cervical, thoracic or lumbar areas. These injections use a contrast dye to pinpoint the source of pain within the facet joints. During this procedure you may feel some slight pressure or discomfort. Your physician will be interested in how this discomfort compares to your usual pain symptoms (this is the diagnostic aspect of the procedure). He will want you to keep track of any changes in your pain symptoms over the days and weeks following the injection. As with the epidurals, patient’s relief following a facet injection tends to vary from minimal to long-term (this is the therapeutic aspect).