Surgical Procedures
Medial branch blocks are performed to see whether neck or back pain is coming from facet joints. They are a diagnostic procedure. This is done as a day procedure in hospital under sedation and x-ray guidance. Local anaesthetic is injected around the nerves carrying pain messages to the spinal cord and brain. You are given a pain chart to complete over the following 48 hours and reviewed several days after the procedure. Depending on the outcome of the blocks, radiofrequency ablation of the joint(s) may provide a prolonged period of pain relief.
