Treatments | Interventional Pain Management

Joint Injections

The bones of the spine are connected by facet joints, which are no larger than a thumbnail and pairs of facet joints help to guide the motion of your spine and provide stability. Facet joint injections provide another useful diagnostic and therapeutic tool in pain management. The procedure is carried out under x-ray guidance to better visualize the area, and a mixture of local anesthetic and steroid is injected into the facet joints. The local anesthetic provides temporary relief, and the steroid can begin to take effect over the next 3 to 5 days and can last between several days and several months. This pain relief provides an excellent opportunity to allow participation in a physical therapy or rehabilitation program that would not otherwise be possible due to pain on movement.