Facet Block / Radiofrequency Ablation
At The Brain and Spine Centre, we specialize in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of neurological and spinal disorders. Dr. Muhammad Aqeel Natt, a leading neurosurgeon in Lahore, provides advanced, safe, and compassionate care for patients.
Facet Block / Radiofrequency Ablation
Facet block injections deliver local anesthetic and corticosteroid directly into painful facet joints or their medial branch nerves to diagnose and treat axial back or neck pain from facet arthropathy. At The Brain and Spine Centre, Dr. Muhammad Aqeel Natt performs fluoroscopy-guided facet blocks at Farooq Hospital, West Wood Branch, Lahore, for patients with chronic spinal pain unresponsive to conservative care.
Our goal is simple: confirm facet joints as pain generators, provide targeted relief, and facilitate physical therapy or delay surgery.
What Is a Facet Block?
Facet blocks target the zygapophyseal (facet) joints—small synovial joints stabilizing the spine—or their medial branch nerves using image guidance to inject medication precisely, reducing inflammation and blocking pain signals. Diagnostic blocks use anesthetic alone; therapeutic blocks add steroid for prolonged effect.
Symptoms and Indications
Ideal for mechanical back/neck pain without radiculopathy.
Common indications:
Chronic low back/neck pain worse with extension/rotation.
Facet arthropathy on MRI/CT (hypertrophy, synovitis).
Post-laminectomy pain, spondylolisthesis, ankylosing spondylitis.
Normal imaging but positive extension test.
Diagnosis
Clinical: pain with lumbar extension/rotation, facet loading positive.
MRI/CT: facet hypertrophy, effusion.
The Procedure
Outpatient, 15-20 minutes under fluoroscopy.
Steps:
Prone positioning; oblique fluoroscopic view targets joint/medial branch.
Local anesthetic skin wheal; 22-25G needle to target (joint cleft or 3-5 mm above).
Contrast confirms intra-articular/perineural spread.
Anesthetic (2-3 ml lidocaine/bupivacaine) ± steroid (triamcinolone 20-40 mg).
Monitor 30 minutes.
Recovery & Aftercare
Relief immediate (anesthetic); steroid peaks 2-5 days.
Resume activities day after; PT during relief window.
Up to 3-4/year per level.
Results You Can Expect
Diagnostic: >50-80% relief confirms facet origin.
Therapeutic: 40-75% achieve >50% relief 3-12 months.
Long-term benefit in 15-75% with repeat blocks.
Why Choose The Brain and Spine Centre
Neurosurgeon-performed with precise fluoroscopic targeting. Dual diagnostic/therapeutic role guides next steps (rhizotomy, fusion). Integrated spine care pathway.
Cost of Facet Block Injections
Per-level outpatient; series of 2-3 diagnostic + therapeutic. Lower than surgery.
