A medial branch nerve block is a type of injection used to determine if the facet joint is causing the patient’s back pain. Facet joints are pairs of small joints between the vertebrae in the back of the spine.The facet joints — also called zygapophysial joints — provide stability, while also allowing the spine to bend, flex, and twist. Each facet joint contains small nerves, called medial branch nerves, that carry pain signals from the facet joints to the brain.
A variety of conditions can lead to inflammation of the facet joints, such as spinal stenosis or osteoarthritis, or from a trauma to the back, such as a car accident. If there is inflammation of the facet joints, the medial branch nerves will transmit pain signals to the brain. https://www.spine-health.com/video/medial-branch-block-video#:~:text=A%20medial%20branch%20injection%20procedure,over%20the%20medial%20branch%20nerves.
Call us at 704-503-9338
