Chronic lower back pain is a common complaint among patients with conditions which include, but are not limited to lumbar radiculopathy, lumbar stenosis, lumbar spondylosis, herniated disc or disc bulge, degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, failed surgery, and those who failed to qualify as surgical candidates. This chronic pain can oftentimes be associated with diffuse arthropathy and other arthritic changes. However, this lower back pain in the setting of diffuse arthritic changes can be treated
with excellent precision & efficacy through the introduction of anesthetic medications along the facet joints of the spine to provide short term relief of pain. Therefore our clinic offers a diagnostic procedure known as Lumbar Medial Branch Block (MBB): a short 10-15 minute diagnostic procedure where we can effectively target the facet joints of the spine with our injectable anesthetic medications which can thereby substantially reduce the pain of those suffering from chronic lower back pain. Please note that this procedure is primarily diagnostic which means it is not intended to provide long term relief, but rather investigate the cause of your pain. If you develop short, but significant relief in pain following the procedure we will advise repeating this diagnostic procedure. If the repeat Lumbar Medial Branch Block (MBB) demonstrates significant relief in pain we will advise you to move forward with a therapeutic procedure known as Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA).

What To Expect From Your Procedure
You will arrive at our clinic 15 minutes prior to your appointment with a designated driver where we will educate you at length on the benefits & risks of the procedure. After this discussion we will then have you sign a consent form and you will subsequently be positioned in preparation for the procedure.

Chloraprep will then be used to clean the procedural site & surrounding skin to help decrease chances of infection. The procedure site will then be identified under fluoroscopic guidance. Once the site is appropriately identified an injection of a numbing medication called lidocaine will be administered to numb the procedural site & surrounding skin. Once the lidocaine has settled the targeted facet joints will be injected with a cocktail consisting of anesthetic (bupivacaine & lidocaine). This cocktail disperses and bathes the facet joints providing optimal pain relief with most of our patients reporting short, but significant relief of pain at post-procedural follow up of 1-3 days. Following procedure you will then be assessed and observed for an additional 5-10 minutes following completion of the procedure to ensure your safety and then scheduled for post-procedural follow up by our staff.

What To Expect After Procedure
● Short, but substantial reduction in lower back pain
● Pain relief typically ranging from 1-3 days
● Acute short term mild swelling or pain around the injection site

Risks Associated With Lumbar Medial Branch Block (MBB)
● Misplacement of the needle
● Unexpected bleeding
● Drug allergies
● Infection
● Nerve damage
● Worsening pain