B2B Blog

Overview

Facet joint syndrome is an arthritis-like condition of the spine that can be a significant source of back and neck pain. Medication, physical therapy, joint injections, nerve blocks, and nerve ablations may be used to manage symptoms. Chronic symptoms may require surgery to fuse the joint.

Anatomy of the facet joints

The spine is made of a column of moveable bones called vertebrae that connect to one another. Each vertebra functions as a three-joint complex with a large disc in the front and two facet joints in the back.

What is facet joint syndrome?

Pain that comes from one or more facet joints is called facet joint syndrome or facet arthropathy. Degenerative changes in the spine may cause body weight to shift unevenly to the facet joints

What are the symptoms?

Facet joint degeneration can be painless until an event triggers symptoms. There are several symptoms that indicate a person’s pain is coming from the facet joints. The pain is often a diffuse, dull ache in the low back directly over the spine that can spread to the buttocks. In the neck it can be felt in the shoulders and back of the skull.

What are the causes?

As we get older, cartilage in our joints wears down. An injury, repetitive movements, obesity, poor posture and other spine conditions that change the way the facet joints align and move can cause pain.

Changes in the facet joints can begin with the deterioration of a vertebral disc. As the load of the body weight shifts to the facet joint, the cartilage breaks down, the joint space narrows, and the bones rub together.

What do I need to know about lumbar radiofrequency ablation?

Lumbar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a procedure used to treat facet joint pain in your lower back. Facet joints are found at the back of each vertebra. A needle electrode is used to send electrical currents to the nerves in your facet joint.

How do I prepare for lumbar RFA?

Your healthcare provider will talk to you about how to prepare for this procedure. He will tell you what medicines to take or not take on the day of your procedure.

What will happen during lumbar RFA?

• You will lie on your stomach. You will be given local anesthesia to numb the area of your back where the needle electrode will be inserted. You may be given a sedative to help keep you relaxed.
• Your healthcare provider may touch the affected nerve to make sure the needle electrode is in the right place. You will feel tingling or pressure when he does this.
• He may need to apply heat to more than one nerve. He will remove the needle electrode and apply a bandage over the area.

What are the risks of lumbar RFA?

You may have pain, numbness, tingling, or burning in the area where the lumbar RFA was done. These normally go away within 6 weeks. The needle electrode may injure your spinal nerves. This may cause permanent leg weakness or nerve pain.

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The most common types of mild to moderate neck pain usually respond well to self-care within two or three weeks. If neck pain persists, your doctor might recommend other treatments.

Medications

Your doctor might prescribe stronger pain medicine than what you can get over-the-counter, as well as muscle relaxants and tricyclic antidepressants for pain relief.

Therapy

Physical therapy. 

A physical therapist can teach you correct posture, alignment and neck-strengthening exercises, and can use heat, ice, electrical stimulation and other measures to help ease your pain and prevent a recurrence.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). 

Electrodes placed on your skin near the painful areas deliver tiny electrical impulses that may relieve pain.

Traction. 

Traction uses weights, pulleys or an air bladder to gently stretch your neck. This therapy, under supervision of a medical professional and physical therapist, may provide relief of some neck pain, especially pain related to nerve root irritation.

Short-term immobilization. 

A soft collar that supports your neck may help relieve pain by taking pressure off the structures in your neck.

Surgical and other procedures

Steroid injections. 

Your doctor might inject corticosteroid medications near the nerve roots, into the small facet joints in the bones of the cervical spine or into the muscles in your neck to help with pain.

Surgery. 

Rarely needed for neck pain, surgery might be an option for relieving nerve root or spinal cord compression.

Some of the most common causes of pain in the right side of the neck include the following:

1. Degeneration or wear and tear

The vertebrae and discs in the neck will wear down with age. As they degenerate, a person may experience chronic, or persistent, pain in the neck.

Some medical conditions can also cause the vertebrae, discs, and other parts of the neck to break down.

2. Bad sleeping position

It is common to wake up feeling stiffness or pain in the shoulders, back, or neck.

The sleeping position that people adopt, the number of pillows that they use, and the firmness of the mattress can all affect how they feel waking up in the morning.

3. Non-specific neck pain

In some cases, it is difficult to identify the exact cause of neck pain.

Neck pain without an apparent because often results from a minor sprain or tears to the muscle tissue. This type of pain is the most common neck pain.

4. Stress and anxiety

Stress may cause the muscles to tighten. People often talk about holding tension in their neck and back, and they may feel pain from the excess strain.

5. Sudden-onset or acute torticollis

Torticollis is a medical condition in which the head becomes twisted to one side. It can be very painful to try to straighten out the head. The cause of torticollis is not always known.

Some potential underlying causes of torticollis include tumors, infections, and side effects from taking medications.

6. Brachial plexus injury

The American Society for Surgery of the Hand define the brachial plexus as a collection of nerves that connect the spinal cord in the neck to the hands.

If an injury to the neck affects the brachial plexus, pain may also occur in the hand.

A common cause of injury to the brachial plexus is blunt force trauma, which can happen as a result of a sporting injury or car accident.

7. Cervical radiculopathy

Cervical radiculopathy, which people often refer to as a pinched nerve, occurs when irritation of the nerves originating in the spinal cord in the neck causes pain to radiate down the arm.

8. Rare causes of right side neck pain

There are less common causes of neck pain that may be more severe. These may include:

• rheumatoid arthritis
• cancer
• serious injury
• damage to the nerves, vertebrae, or spinal cord
• infections
• bone disorders

Neck pain is a common complaint. Neck muscles can be strained from poor posture — whether it’s leaning over your computer or hunching over your workbench. Osteoarthritis also is a common cause of neck pain.

Rarely, neck pain can be a symptom of a more serious problem. Seek medical care if your neck pain is accompanied by numbness or loss of strength in your arms or hands or if you have shooting pain into your shoulder or down your arm.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms include:

• Pain that’s often worsened by holding your head in one place for long periods, such as when driving or working at a computer
• Muscle tightness and spasms
• Decreased ability to move your head
• Headache

Here’s what to expect during a cervical or thoracic facet joint injection, Southlake  procedure:

• You will lie face down, with two pillows underneath your chest and a small pillow underneath your forehead.
• The skin over the back of the neck (for cervical) or mid-back (for thoracic) will be cleaned and numbed before the injection, Southlake .
• Using fluoroscopic (X-ray) guidance, your physician will identify the facet joints that should be injected.
• Your doctor will insert a thin needle into the back section of the facet joint.
• Next, your doctor will inject a small amount of contrast dye to make sure that the medication will flow exactly where it needs to go.
• Then, your physician will inject a small amount of steroid solution.
• After the procedure, you’ll spend 20 to 30 minutes in the recovery area.

The steroid usually starts to work two days to two weeks after the injection, Southlake .

Preparing for the facet joint injection, Southlake

• While the procedure may take less than 30 minutes, you should allow for at least one hour at the procedure center.
• If you develop a fever, night sweats, or an active infection before your procedure, your procedure will need to be rescheduled. Please contact our office at (651) 968–5201 immediately to let us know about the symptoms you’re experiencing.

Possible side effects of the steroid

Side effects of steroid injection, Southlake are usually minimal and go away within one to three days after the procedure. Possible side effects of the steroid include:

• Facial flushing
• Fluid retention
• Insomnia
• Low-grade fever (less than 100° F)
• For women, temporary changes to your menstrual cycle
• Headache
• For people with diabetes, temporary elevation of blood sugar levels

 After the facet joint injection, Southlake

• Follow the specific instructions given to you by the nurses at the procedure center.
• Plan to rest for the remainder of the day. You may resume light activity that is comfortable for you, but do not overexert yourself the first day.
• For discomfort, apply ice packs to the injection, Southlake site for 15 minutes several times a day.
• Do not soak in a tub for 24 hours after the procedure. You may take showers.
• Keep a record of your pain and symptoms after the injection, Southlake and report