Back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In many cases, your back pain can be temporary and treated with home remedies, such as rest and over-the-counter medications for inflammation and pain. However, if you suffer from an injury or degenerative conditions, you might need medical intervention.

At The Spine & Pain Center of California in Pleasanton and Fremont, our team, led by Navin Mallavaram, MD, offers the highest level of expertise for back pain. We focus on noninvasive treatments to help you heal quickly without long periods of recovery time.

Facet joint disorders

You have a small pair of facet joints at the back of each spinal section that connects your spine’s vertebral bones. These joints in the lower part of your back bear a great deal of weight and stress, which makes them susceptible to injury and degeneration.

The sensations in these joints are controlled by your medial branch of nerves. When they become activated, you can experience pain in your lower back and possibly down your leg.

Whether you have acute or chronic pain, facet joint injections can offer relief.

How facet joint injections work

Before beginning your procedure, we have you lie facedown on your stomach. We then numb the small area over your facet joint with a local anesthetic.

Once the area is completely numb, we use a fluoroscope to give us the visual capacity to guide a needle into your facet joint. The fluoroscopy procedure is similar to creating an X-ray movie. We then inject a dye into the area to make sure we’re in the exact, targeted location.

Once confirmed, we inject your medication, which consists of anesthetics, such as lidocaine to take away your pain, and cortisone to reduce inflammation.

The procedure only takes about 15-30 minutes.

The effectiveness of facet joint injections

Since everyone has a different level of severity to their condition, the rate of effectiveness can differ. In some cases, you might experience relief immediately after the injection. In other cases, you might need physical therapy combined with the injections.

Our team also uses platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to stimulate new tissue growth to promote faster healing.

Before your procedure, we work with you to determine the best treatment for your pain to help you get back to your regular, daily routine. We continually monitor your results and consult with you after your procedure to ensure a successful outcome.

If you have intense back pain and need relief, our team can help. Contact us today by calling or booking an appointment online at the location nearest you.