Facet injections involve injecting anti-inflammatory into the facet joint to reduce pain.  This procedure is usually done under fluroscopy (a real time x-ray unit) and takes 10-20 minutes to perform.  The risks are minimal, but there can include irritating an exiting nerve root, infection, bleeding, etc...  Medial branch blocks are another common procedure in this line of thinking.   This involves numbing the nerve that goes to the facet joint.  If facet blocks help reduce pain, a facet rhizotomy can give longer lasting relief.  There is some excellent research that confirms that facet pain is common after a whiplash injury.

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