Cervical facet syndrome is neck pain arising from the small facet joints connecting the cervical vertebrae. Each joint is about the size of a thumbnail, and an irritated or arthritic joint can refer to pain in the shoulder, the upper back or the head, which is why it is a recognized source of headache. Physicians identify the joint by side and level, such as the left C4-5 joint. A cervical facet joint injection of steroid and local anesthetic serves two purposes, easing inflammation and confirming whether that joint is the pain source. Spine Institute of North America (Spine INA) in East Brunswick, New Jersey uses these injections to guide treatment for confirmed cervical facet pain.
Cervical Facet Joint Injections for Effective Neck Pain Treatment
In some cases, our spine doctor may recommend cervical facet joint injections for your neck pain treatment. These injections are a minimally-invasive, outpatient procedure that’s useful for diagnosing and treatment pain in areas such as:
- Your neck
- Your shoulders
- In the upper back
- Migraines and headache pain
Your facet joints connect the bones in your spine (called the vertebrae) and help with the guidance of your spine as you move around. There are seven vertebrae in the cervical region of your spine, the neck area, which has facet joints on both sides of the spine. They are only about the size of your thumbnail, but they play an important role in your movement and flexibility. If one is damaged or out of place, it could be the cause of the neck, shoulder, upper back pain or headaches that you are experiencing.
When your spine surgeon talks to you about your facet joints, they may call them by their technical name which contains a letter and some numbers. For example, they may say that you are experiencing issues in the left C4-5 facet joint. It breaks down like this:
- Left because it’s on the left side of the spine
- “C” because it’s a cervical joint
- “4-5” because it connects the 4th and 5th vertebrae.
