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Gulf Coast Pain Management
Pain and Procedure Info

 

FACET JOINT INJECTIONS

The facet joints are the joints that are made up of the overlapping arches of the bones that make up your spinal canal. This is the portion that supports your back from one vertebral bone to the next. The facet joints are located in the entire spine, cervical, thoracic, and lumbar. Your sacrum, which is one solid bone, does not have a facet joint.

The technique of performing facet joint injections is as follows:

  • You will be undressed and placed on the fluoroscopy (x-ray) table.

  • The portion of the body over the facet joint block will be sterilely
    prepped and draped.

  • Dr. Columbus will administer sedation if it is necessary.

  • Using the fluoroscopy, your facet joints will be identified and marked.

  • Small, thin needles will be inserted into or adjacent to the facet joints
    after anesthetizing the skin over the facet joints. Medication will then
    be injected into the facet joints.


    After the procedure, you will be monitored in the recovery area. You should not engage in heavy activity the first day post procedure. The risks of the procedure are injection of medication into a spinal nerve resulting in numbness or decreased function of the extremity for a short time; injection of medication into a blood vessel; bleeding; or the risk of infection. Due to the highly skilled techniques employed by Dr. Columbus, these risks are very minimal.

    The purpose of facet joint injections is to decrease your pain and to help determine if it is the facet joints that are causing your pain. These injections are often performed in conjunction with physical therapy to increase the efficacy of your physical therapy.


Get real answers at Gulf Coast Pain Management.
If you have any questions whatsoever regarding this procedure,
please do not hesitate to ask Dr. Columbus.

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©2000 - 2008 Gulf Coast Pain Management
Dr. Lynne C. Columbus
3890 Tampa Road Suite 308
Morton Plant Mease East Lake Outpatient Center
Palm Harbor, Florida
34684

Phone: (727) 789-0891  Fax: (727) 789-1570
E-mail:
info@gulfcoastpain.com