Neck Pain

Up to 92% of people with facet joint pain get significant pain relief from facet joint injections. At Noble Pain Management, the leading pain management practice in the Columbia, Missouri, area, Bradford R. Noble, DO, FAOCPMR, combines 20 years of extensive experience with an acute awareness of neck pain and compassionate holistic (whole-body) care. To learn more about how the practice can help you overcome neck pain and optimize your quality of life, call the office or click on the provided online scheduling tool now.

What causes neck pain?

Your neck is made up of bones, muscles, and ligaments that support the weight of your head and allow you to move it in different directions. Your neck also contains spinal vertebrae, known as your cervical vertebrae, and protective discs that absorb the shock of your movements.

When any of these structures are damaged by direct trauma, disease, or degeneration, you can develop chronic neck pain, which can radiate into your head and arms.

Can you get facet joint injections for neck pain?

A cervical facet injection is a clinical procedure where a facet joint inflamed or injured within the neck is injected with steroids to reduce neck pain and performed under the guidance of an X-ray. 

Facet joint injections include a mixture of anesthetics to block nerve signals and steroids to decrease inflammation. While the ingredients are the same as those in epidural steroid injections, the shot goes in or around the facet joints — the tiny joints between each of your spinal vertebrae — rather than the epidural space.

You could need a facet joint injection if you have chronic neck pain, movement difficulties, other problems stemming from the facet joints, or shooting pain from the neck down the arm (cervical radiculopathy).

The injections can also stop your body from making inflammatory chemicals and decrease the sensitivity of pain receptors, ultimately giving you effective neck pain relief.

How long does it take for cervical facet joint injections to work?

Facet joint injections for neck pain take effect right away because the local anesthesia numbs sensation. That medication fades away quickly, but the steroid medication kicks in about 2-5 days after the injection to reduce inflammation for ongoing pain relief. 

If you experience immediate pain relief but your neck pain returns quickly, it could indicate that a specific nerve (not the facet joint) causes your pain. In that case, you could be a good candidate for a treatment like radiofrequency ablation, which destroys the nerve causing your pain.

You may need other treatments, like physical therapy, to rehabilitate injured or damaged facet joints after your injection.

Noble Pain Management understands your struggle with neck pain. They’re here to lighten your burden and improve your quality of life. Call the office nearest you or book your appointment online now.