Treatment option for Neck Pain

Needle in the cervical facet joint spine model

What to Expect:
You will be given an intravenous catheter (IV) and then taken to the procedure room. Monitors will be placed on you to track your vital signs.

The cervical facet injection may be performed with you lying face down or on your back on the operating room table. Your neck and possibly your upper back are cleaned off with a sterile solution and a sterile drape placed to keep the area clean. You should not reach into the area that has been cleaned or you risk infection.

In order to accurately place the needle in the correct position the procedure is performed under fluoroscopy, an x-ray like process. A needle is then placed at the level of the facet and numbing medication injected into the joint or by the nerves that transmit feeling to the joint. If your pain is relieved when this is done, it is likely that the facet joint is the pain generator (source of your pain).

It is very important during any cervical spinal injection procedure to let your physician know immediately if you feel a sudden pain going down your arm to your hand or shoulder.

Following the Procedure:
You may feel some neck soreness that should cease in a few days. Someone from the Emory Center for Pain Medicine will try to contact you within 3 business days of the procedure to see how well the injection relieved your pain. Please have your PAIN DIARY available so that you may accurately describe how you feel.