If you suffer from chronic low back pain that has failed to improve with more conservative treatments (physical therapy, heat, stretching), then this simple diagnostic procedure can pinpoint the source of your pain in order to determine the most effective method of treatment.
What is a Lumbar Medical Branch Block?
Inflammation of the small joints between spinal bones called facets can cause neck pain, mid-back pain and/or low back pain. A medial branch block is a procedure that can not only determine which facet joint in the back is causing pain, but can also be effective at eliminating that pain at the same time.
A medial branch block is an injection of medication outside the joint space near the nerve that feeds a specific joint. If pain is relieved, it could mean the facet joint that is generating the pain has been identified.
What are the benefits?
A lumbar medial branch block involves numbing the small nerves outside of the facets called the medial branches. These nerves communicate pain signals from the facet joint to the brain. By blocking that signal, your doctor can find out which facet joint is causing the pain.
The procedure is an easy, minimally-invasive means to diagnose exactly where the back pain is being generated and potentially treat it – all at the same time. If the procedure works and the patient reports a reduction of pain, the doctor may choose to administer the block again. This is to make sure the pain relief was not coincidental, or maybe the result of the medication escaping the joint and working on a different part of the neck or nearby nerve.
If relief is short-lived, your doctor may recommend another procedure called Radiofrequency Ablation (or RFA). RFA works by applying complex radio waves to the medial branches instead of an injection. This may provide more effective and longer lasting pain relief to the joint.