Revolutionary Relief: How Bilateral Facet Block Procedures Are Transforming Pain Management for Queens Residents
When widespread joint pain disrupts your daily life, finding effective treatment can feel overwhelming. For Queens residents struggling with chronic back and neck pain, bilateral facet block procedures offer a beacon of hope, providing targeted relief where traditional treatments have failed. These minimally invasive interventions are revolutionizing pain management, offering both diagnostic insights and therapeutic benefits for those suffering from debilitating spinal conditions.
Understanding Bilateral Facet Block Procedures
Facet joint blocks are minimally invasive procedures in which physicians use fluoroscopy or CT imaging to guide the placement of an injection of medication into facet joints to provide pain relief. Facet joints, which are located in pairs on the side of each vertebra in the neck and back, allow for motion and provide support and stability in the spine. Injury or conditions such as arthritis may cause pain and inflammation within the facet joints.
Facet joint pain can arise from osteoarthritis, segmental instability, trauma, meniscoid impingement, and inflammatory synovitis. Patients with facet joint pain may present with symptoms of neck pain, back pain, and pain worsened with hyperextension, bending laterally, and rotation. For many patients, this pain significantly impacts their quality of life, making simple activities like walking, sitting, or sleeping extremely challenging.
The Comprehensive Treatment Approach
Bilateral facet blocks serve both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Diagnostic facet joint injections provide a reliable modality to detect pain originating from the facet joint and may offer patient pain relief and guidance in future interventions or treatment. When done for diagnostic reasons, a local anesthetic only is used, because the doctor is trying to determine whether the cause of the pain in the spine is coming from the facet joints. If the patient experiences improvement of their pain for a short amount of time, but then the pain relief wears off as the local anesthetic wears off, this indicates the facet joints are likely the cause of the pain.
Multiple injections may be performed, depending upon how many joints are involved. This bilateral approach is particularly effective for widespread joint pain, as it addresses multiple pain sources simultaneously, providing comprehensive relief for patients suffering from extensive spinal involvement.
The Treatment Experience
Facet joint injections are minimally invasive treatments that are typically performed in an outpatient surgical center or at a doctor’s office. Patients remain awake throughout the process and go home on the same day after a brief observational period. The equipment typically used for this procedure consists of a needle and either a fluoroscopy or a CT unit. The thin, hollow needle used is 3.5 or 5 inches long, depending on your body size. The fluoroscopy unit consists of an x-ray tube and a television-like monitor that is located in the examining room.
Using x-ray guidance, needles are then advanced to the appropriate locations (the joints or the medial branch). Once the needles are in the proper location, local anesthetic (with or without steroid) is injected through the needles, and the needles are removed.
Expected Outcomes and Recovery
Typically, injections containing anesthetic and corticosteroid medications offer relief for 2 to 4 months or longer. Other times, the pain relief from facet joint injections can last 3 to 6 months or even longer. Patients should not do heavy exercise such as intense cardio or weight training for at least 48 hours after facet joint injections. However, regular activity, such as basic activities around the house, are encouraged, because doctors want to see if these injections are helping patients with their regular daily activities.
Recovery after a facet block is fairly quick. You’ll likely be able to return to your regular activities the next day. You may notice an increase in pain for several days after your procedure before the medication takes effect.
NY Spine Medicine: Queens’ Premier Pain Management Destination
For Queens residents seeking expert care for bilateral facet block procedures, NY Spine Medicine stands as a beacon of excellence in pain management. NY Spine Medicine offers the highest level of pain management in NYC. Find our team, innovative services, and supportive patient resources today. The core belief of our practice is that surgery should be a last resort for treatment of your pain. We exhaust all possible medical options to help our patients recover from their pain as safely and as painlessly as possible. Our holistic approach encompasses minimally invasive procedures to relieve pain, promote healing, and prevent future injury.
With multiple locations across New York City, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, NY Spine Medicine makes it easy to access expert pain management care close to home. The practice’s commitment to personalized care is evident in their approach: At NY Spine Medicine, we believe in personalized care. We take the time to listen to your concerns, understand your goals, and develop a customized treatment plan that addresses your specific needs. Our multidisciplinary approach combines the expertise of pain management specialists, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals to provide you with comprehensive care every step of the way.
For those specifically seeking Facet Block Injections Queens residents can trust NY Spine Medicine’s expertise in delivering these advanced procedures with precision and care. At NY Spine Medicine, we are dedicated to the treatment of pain and spine conditions and utilize the most advanced technology and treatment options available in a brand new, state-of-the-art facility.
Who Benefits from Bilateral Facet Block Procedures?
Damage to the lumbar facet joints is commonly associated with this kind of chronic lower back pain. In fact, up to 45% of patients experiencing lower back pain also have issues with their lumbar facet joints. Indications for diagnostic facet joint injections include strong suspicion for the pain of facet joint etiology (focal tenderness over the facet joint, pain in response to hyperextension, rotational movement, or bending laterally, leg pain not extending below the knee), chronic low back pain, neck pain not relieved with conservative management, low back pain with normal imaging, neck pain in the setting of a whiplash injury, post-laminectomy syndrome without evidence of arachnoiditis or recurrent disc disease, facet joint synovial cyst rupture, conservative management for vertebral compression fracture, and symptomatic spondylolysis.
The Future of Pain Management
Bilateral facet block procedures represent a significant advancement in pain management, offering hope to those who have struggled with widespread joint pain. These procedures provide both immediate relief and long-term solutions, often serving as a stepping stone to more permanent treatments when necessary. If the patient experiences pain relief from facet joint injections but the pain relief isn’t lasting, this typically means the pain is coming from the facet joints, but longer-lasting pain relief is necessary. In this case, it is common to progress to a procedure called radiofrequency ablation, which can provide pain relief for six months to a year.
For Queens residents living with chronic spinal pain, bilateral facet block procedures offer a path forward—a chance to reclaim their lives from the grip of persistent pain. With the expert care available at NY Spine Medicine, patients can access these life-changing treatments close to home, supported by a team dedicated to their recovery and well-being.