There are two goals of this treatment:
• Diagnostic Tool: it indicates that the joint is the source of the problem if you experience immediate pain relief.
• Therapeutic Treatment: the Medial Branch Block itself can be used as a longer-term treatment, alleviating pain for several months.
An anesthetic is first administered near tiny medial nerves attached to a particular facet joint. Typically, we'll inject multiple levels of the spine all at once. If you experience significant pain relief soon after the injection, then we can be certain that the facet joint is the underlying cause of your pain. Once we’ve determined the precise location, then we can use a Medial Branch Block to treat the chronic pain.