Small joints infiltration
Small spinal joints form pairs and are found between two neighboring vertebrae. They participate in bending, extending, and turning movements of the vertebrae.
The joints infiltration method is performed both for diagnosis (location of a suffering joint) and treatment (symptomatic treatment of the pain).
Method
General anesthesia is not required for this technique. The patient lies face-down, and the suffering part of the spine is sterilized and infiltrated with local anesthetics.
The surgeon inserts a long and thin needle and with the assistance of the portable X-ray machine (C-arm), the point where the sensory nerve branch passes by and gives sense to the joint is found. At this point, a small dosage of local anesthetic is administered. If there is a change in the pain, then a prolonged local anesthetic and cortisone solution are administered. If the pain becomes less intense, the same technique is performed in the neighboring joints until the suffering joint is found.
Results
The infiltration of the suffering joint has impressive results since the pain can be completely and permanently eliminated. If not, this method can be repeated twice or thrice with no complications. In cases where results are not permanent, radiofrequency ablation is applied.
