FACET INJECTIONS

Background

The facet joints are small joints in the back of the spine that form a connection between each vertebrae. Each vertebrae is a part of four facet joints, two on the upper or superior surface, and two on the lower or inferior surface. These joints are diarthroidal which means that there are only two surfaces rubbing together, like the hip joint and the finger joints. The inner surface of each joint contains articular cartilage which can be injured though a single, high-velocity injury, or more commonly, slowly be injured over time.

For convenience purposes, the spine can be divided into an anterior (front) section and a posterior (back) section, that work together to maintain proper function; The anterior section contains the vertebral bodies and the intervertebral discs and is the primary load-bearing part of the spine. The posterior portion, which contains the zygapophyseal (Z or facet) joints, lamina, and the transverse and spinous processes, controls the motions of the spine and provides for all musculotendinous insertions on the spine. In the low back, the usual location of injury is the intervertebral disc which is usually injured by bending forward while twisting to pick something up, often with an outstretched arm. The L3 vertebral body posterior section of the spine accounts for about 20-25% of low back pain and 54% of chronic neck pain and can be injured through repeated bending, a hyper extension (bending back to far) disc injury such as “whiplash”, or through “wear and tear of the facet joints, a problem which can happen with age also known as osteoarthritis.

Zygapophseal Joint

The Z- joint capsule (a ligament which surrounds the joint, keeping it together), cartilage, and facet bone are all innervated from nerves arising from the medial branches of the dorsal rami. This innervation

is the source of pain. As the joint capsule becomes swollen from fluid collecting in the joint, which is typical with osteoarthritis, the joint capsule begins to produce discomfort and frequently muscle spasm.

As well, the injury to the cartilage in the joint and often the underlying bone also directly produces discomfort. All of the procedures discussed here are to reduce or eliminate pain from the posterior spine and more specifically the Z-joint.

How Does A Facet Or Z-Joint Injection Work?

Zygapophseal joint injections are a diagnostic and a potentially therapeutic procedure. Diagnostically, a small amount of local anesthetic is usually injected into the joint. Pain is usually assessed immediately after the procedure. If there is a resolution or a reduction in the symptoms as compared with the symptoms prior to the procedure, there usually is considered confirmation that the joint injected is producing pain. From a therapeutic standpoint, a small amount of corticosteroid is usually injected in addition to the local anesthetic. Corticosteroids are potent anti- inflammatory medications. Reducing the inflammation in the joint will decrease the amount of joint effusion and therefore decrease distention of the capsule, which will often offer longer lasting pain relief. It is possible that this injection will block the pain long enough to allow the body to begin the process of repairing itself.

The chief effect of a Z-joint injection is to reduce pain, but the effect is not always long lasting and differs from person to person. Most patients will receive good relief for some weeks or up to three months after injection, but only a small proportion obtain longer- lasting relief. Some patients do not experience any pain relief and may in fact suffer an increase in pain and/or other symptoms as detailed later.

Your physician will probably request that you participate in physical therapy to mobilize the affected joints and begin strengthening and stabilizing the affected area.

How Are These Injections Administered?

Certain medications may increase the risk of complications. If you are taking aspirin you should stop it 5 days prior to the procedure. If you are on Coumadin (warfarin), heparin, Lovenox, Ticlid (ticlopidine), Plavix (clopidogrel), or other blood thinning agents such as anti-inflammatory agents, please let your physician know at least one week prior to the procedure. You can continue to use Celebrex (celecoxib), Vioxx (roficoxib), or Bextra (Valdecoxib) before the procedure. Do not take your regular pain medications for six hours before or after the procedure. You should continue to take your routine medications (such as high blood pressure and diabetes medications) before the procedure. If you are on antibiotics please notify your physician, he may wait to do the procedure. If you have an active infection or fever we will not do the procedure.

You should not eat or drink anything (except your routine medications) for the eight hours prior to the procedure; this again, lowers the chance of having complications. You are expected to have a ride to and from the procedure. The procedure usually takes about one hour though you may be at the facility for as long as three hours. Once you arrive to the facility, a nurse will place an IV in your arm. After this has been done and the doctor is ready, you will be taken to the room and positioned on the table.

Local anesthetic will be injected into the skin and underlying tissues to decrease the discomfort of introducing the spinal needle. Once the local anesthetic is working the spinal needle is advanced to the appropriate location using bones as landmarks. Your physician will use fluoroscopy (a live x-ray) and other technical aids to ensure that the needle is in the right place.

For Z-joint injections, once the needle Es in the joint, a small amount of contrast will be injected to confirm the appropriate location of the needle tip and to evaluate the competence of the joint capsule. After making sure that the needle is in the joint, the doctor will inject the solution of local anesthetic and steroid. The doctor may inject more than one joint depending on the symptoms you present with and the physical examination performed by the doctor.

For medial branch blocks, the physician will place then needle adjacent to the nerve based on bony landmarks that can be visualized with the fluoroscopy unit. He will then inject a small amount of contrast to confirm that the needle tip is not in a blood vessel. If the needle is in the appropriate position, he will inject a small amount of solution to “block” the nerve. You will be expected to keep a pain diary following the procedure to record pain each hour and note how long the block lasts. Remember, this is a diagnostic test and not a permanent treatment for pain.

For radiofrequency ablation, the physician will place then needle adjacent to the nerve based on bony landmarks that can be visualized with the fluoroscopy unit (the same location used in medial branch blocks). He will place multiple needles based on how many nerves he plans to block. Once the needles are placed, he will connect the needle to the radiofrequency generator. You will be asked to let the physician know as soon as you feel a change in the quality or type of pain. This technique is used to localize the nerve and confirm the needle tip is very close to the nerve. The physician will then use another setting to stimulate a motor response which will make a small muscle in your back fire intermittently. The physician will closely watch your leg or arm to confirm that the needle is not near the spinal nerve. Once the doctor has adequately confirmed placement, he will inject a small amount of local anesthelic to deaden so there is no pain when the needle tip is heated. The physician will then reconnect the needle to the generator and ablate the nerve. It takes approximately 90 seconds to ablate each nerve. He will repeat this process

for each nerve to be ablated. Your physician may inject steroid around the nerve after the injection to reduce inflammation after the burn, this may help to reduce discomfort after the procedure. It can take up to 3-4 weeks to notice the results following radiofrequency ablation.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCEDURE OR ANY OF THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE JUST READ, PLEASE ASK THE STAFF OR YOUR DOCTOR. THEY WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.