Facet joint injections?

Mistina

I had them and they didn't do anything for me. I think my major problems is my facet joints as appose to the actual discs.
Actually, they aren't suppose to cure the problems they are just suppose to diagnose it. You could have relief from it though for up to 6 months I think. It is suppose to help in diagnosing if it is the actual facet joints that are causing your problem. I had some relief from them for a couple days. I had a lot of swelling in which the injection helped that too but my main problem was and I think still is, bone spurring and overgrowth on the joint stopping them from being able to 'do their job'. The don't move freely causing me tremendous pain. I feel like I have a locking up feeling all the time or if I move certain ways. I had a laminectomy to correct the problem in Sept but I only helped a fraction of the problem.
I wish you luck with them, everyone is different so you it could help you out tremendously!
Ps. what is your pain like anyway?
Keep us posted!
Christina

GracieGirl

Thanks for the reply. To answer your question, what is my pain like.....At the L5-S1 level it really aches and burns, I cannot sit at all, and is tender to touch. Further up along my lumbar spine, it feels like my spine hurts, if that makes sense. The bones hurt and are sore to touch. In the am I have a hard time getting out of bed. That is bad enough, but by the afternoon my mid back feels like stabbing pain in my muscels. So, my pain starts in my low lumbar area, but works its way all the way up to my mid back. ugh...trying not to loose hope, too....
Gracie

Mistina

That sounds alot like what my symtoms are. I was telling a doctor forever that my actual bone hurt to touch and if I pushed on it it felt bruised and if I really pushed it would send me through the roof. Also, I couldn't do anything cause if I tried it felt like my spine was locking up or just didn't move that way like a knife would stab me in the bone telling me not to do that. I can't tell you how long it took for someone to listen to me after me telling them that SOMETHING was wrong. Finally, I got a doctor to listen to me and did the surgery and found all the spurring and overgrowth on my facet joints. I don't feel like the surgery did a whole lot at this point. I'm scared to death. I don't know what to do now. I was doing alot of PT and walking after surgery then I came back to work and doing the exercise and work all in one day was impossible so I stopped doing so much exercise and now I'm trying to get back into it and can't. It's killing me. I don't know what I'm gonna do.
I hope that you get relief with your injections. Let me know how it goes!
Christina

GracieGirl

Yeah, I can relate to you. I told the dr that my spine hurts to touch like a deep bruise, and they just look at me like I have 2 heads...I actually hit that area on my spine accidentally the other day and it brought me to tears. Hoping these injections help. My big problem is the disc though...
Hope you are feeling better soon, too.
Gracie
*only 30 years old....feel 80 though...

itzme again

[QUOTE=Mistina]I had them and they didn't do anything for me. I think my major problems is my facet joints as appose to the actual discs.
Actually, they aren't suppose to cure the problems they are just suppose to diagnose it. You could have relief from it though for up to 6 months I think. It is suppose to help in diagnosing if it is the actual facet joints that are causing your problem. I had some relief from them for a couple days. I had a lot of swelling in which the injection helped that too but my main problem was and I think still is, bone spurring and overgrowth on the joint stopping them from being able to 'do their job'. The don't move freely causing me tremendous pain. I feel like I have a locking up feeling all the time or if I move certain ways. I had a laminectomy to correct the problem in Sept but I only helped a fraction of the problem.
I wish you luck with them, everyone is different so you it could help you out tremendously!
Ps. what is your pain like anyway?
Keep us posted!
Christina[/QUOTE]

HI Cristina and Standingman, have posted a reply today. 2/20/04
in your Re: New nerve pain 5 months after laminectomy/discectomy.
itzme again, Richard

NancyH

[QUOTE=GracieGirl]My latest MRI stated that I have degenerative facet joints in the lumbar spine. Does anyone know what causes this? They weren't there 6 months ago. How could this happen so quickly? The pm dr wants to do facet joint injections. Has anyone had this? What does it entail? Is it painful? Is it effective? Is there a recovery time? Do you feel relief right away? Can the facet joints cause pain elsewhere? Anyone have experience with this?[/QUOTE]

Yep, I've had them in the cervical and lumbar and also the epidurals and they did NOTHING for me either, they are umcomfortable and really don't know why they offer that as treatment since this is really just a form of arthritis in the facet joints. I've had them since I was 34 and it may have made them feel worse in the long run. You can get facet joint degeneration from wear and tear or injury like car accident like any other joint as well as the aging process. It has many causes but it all runs under arthritic conditions eventually. Facet joints can radiate to other parts of the body as well depending on where it is degenerating and rubbing nerves.