Damage to the facet joint, which connects the bones we call vertebrae that make up the spine, due to degenerative and traumatic reasons, is one of the most important causes of low back and neck pain, which is localized in the neck or waist or rarely radiates to the front and back of the legs. When the cause of the pain is determined to be facet joints, facet joint blockade and then radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) can be applied.
Performance of the Procedure
The procedure should be performed in the operating room under imaging (C-arm scopy). You must fast for 4 hours before the procedure. Your vital functions will be monitored by the anesthesiologist in the operating room. The procedure begins after the analgesic and sedation medication is administered through the vein. After the joints are visualized with C-arm scopy for facet joint blockade, the facet joint is reached with a 10 cm long needle following local anesthesia.
If the patient's pain has decreased to the desired level after local anesthetic application, long-term relief can be achieved with RFT application. This application can be performed immediately after the facet block, in the same session, or 1-2 weeks later. The procedure is performed in the operating room, like facet block injection. Again, under imaging, the entry point is determined, facet median nerves are reached with special RF needles, and the pain-carrying fibers of the nerve are numbed with heat using the RFT device.
Things to Consider Before the Procedure
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For sedation applications, it is necessary to fast for 4 hours before the procedure.
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Blood pressure medications should be taken with very little water on the morning of the procedure. Blood thinners should be stopped 1 week in advance. Instead of these agents, low molecular weight heparin is used. Things to Do After the Procedure
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It will be sufficient to rest for 1-2 hours after the procedure.
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The pain complaint, which decreases after the intervention, may start again within 4-6 hours. This is due to the fact that the effect of the local anesthetic has disappeared.
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It will be appropriate for you to rest for 2-3 days after the procedure and you should avoid movements that will put excessive strain on the waist or neck for a while.
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Pain reliever Medications can be used for 2-3 days if there is a complaint of pain.
To whom it cannot be applied?
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Those who have an infection at the injection site or a systemic infection
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Those who do not want the initiative
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