Facet syndrome is pain from the small joints at the back of the spine. It is a common source of chronic low back or neck pain, especially when bending backward or twisting makes things worse.
Each level of your spine has two facet joints that guide motion and bear load. When those joints develop arthritis or are irritated by degenerative changes, they can produce sharp, localized back pain with or without referred pain down the leg or arm.
Targeted diagnostic blocks followed by radiofrequency ablation is the gold standard for facet-driven pain. Most patients get months of relief with each round.
Facet pain has a fairly specific pattern. Recognizing it lets us go straight to the right treatment.
We move in a focused, stepped way: diagnostic block first, then radiofrequency ablation for longer-term relief when it works.
A diagnostic and therapeutic block of the small nerves that supply the facet joints. Relief confirms the joints are the source and paves the way for ablation.
Controlled heat quiets the same nerves for six to twelve months. A highly effective next step for patients who respond to the diagnostic block.
When nerve root irritation is added to the mix, an epidural can quiet that layer of pain while facet work continues.
Targeted injections into deep paraspinal muscles that spasm around irritated facets. A helpful complement.
Call us for new weakness, bladder or bowel changes, fever plus back pain, or severe pain following trauma. These need prompt evaluation.
An injection delivers medicine around the nerve. Ablation uses controlled heat to create a small lesion on the nerve, which prevents it from transmitting pain signals for months at a time.
Most patients tolerate it well. We numb the area thoroughly, use imaging guidance, and offer sedation as needed. You can drive yourself home the next day.
They can, which is why RFA is not a one-time procedure for everyone. When pain returns, we can repeat the ablation. Many patients stay comfortable for years with a regular cycle.