Orthopaedic and Spine Institute
Texas Center for Athletes
21 Spurs Lane Suite 245
San Antonio, Tx.78240
210.48.SPINE
(210.487.7463)
Fax: 210.487.7468
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Orthopaedic Services and Procedures
NON-OPERATIVE PROCEDURES
- Facet Joint Injections
Lumbar facet joints are small joints located in pairs in your lower back. These joints provide stability and guide motion in your spine.
If the joints become painful due to arthritis, injury, or mechanical stress, they can cause pain in various areas. The lumbar facet joints can cause pain in your lower back, hip, buttock, or leg.
A facet joint injection serves several purposes. First, by placing numbing medicine into the joint, the amount of immediate pain relief you experience will help confirm or deny the joint as a source of your pain. That is, if you obtain complete relief of your main pain while the facet joints are numb, then these joints are likely your pain source. Furthermore, time-release cortisone will be injected into these joints to reduce any presumed inflammation, which can, on many occasions, provide long-term pain relief.
