Medial Branch Blocks For Chronic Neck Pain – Do They Work?

Chronic neck pain is very common in the US, with over 30% of the country experiencing neck pain annually. Unfortunately, a large percentage of people who experience neck pain end up with residual neck pain years later (over half).

There have been numerous studies looking at neck surgery for chronic neck pain. Unless there is a radicular component with a pinched nerve or instability of the anatomy, surgery leads to less than satisfactory outcomes.

There are quite a few neck areas which can lead to chronic neck pain. Arthritis in cervical facet joints, or muscle, ligament, or fascia injury may lead to neck pain or problematic headaches.

Strong evidence has been shown for the accuracy of cervical facet diagnostic injections for diagnosing these joints as a source of neck pain. Usually it’s a combination of history, physical examination, and imaging studies including plain x-rays and and MRI. Typically once a diagnosis has been established from the pain doctor of cervical facet syndrome, the initial treatment is actually a diagnostic treatment along with a therapeutic one.

With the diagnostic cervical injection into the facet joints, the number desirable for pain relief is at least eighty percent reduction. This should allow the individual to perform multiple maneuvers which were painful prior to the joint injection. At that point in time, if the eighty percent pain relief occurs, then insurance companies usually approve medial branch blocks.

Significant debate exists over whether or not neck medial branch blocks only need numbing medicine or if cortisone should be included in the injection performed. Studies looking at medial branch blocks with numbing medicine with or without cortisone have shown that both work well, with each injection providing on average about 5 months relief, usually over fifty percent on average.

Medial branch blocks may be repeated when the pain relief dissipates, and substantial relief with another injection is possible. If longer pain relief is desired, the doctor may do a radiofrequency neurotomy, also called a radiofrequency ablation.

A radiofrequency neurotomy deadens the tiny nerve endings that are identical to the ones treated with the medial branch blocks. The RF procedure may give a person a year and a half of pain relief and if the pain recurs it can be repeated.

While a substantial number of Americans suffer from chronic neck pain, it is good to know that current treatments provide successful pain relief. In addition, these treatments are nonoperative, outpatient, and cost much less than surgery.

Want to find out more about Arizona pain doctors, then visit Preferred Pain Center’s site on how to choose the best pain management doctors in arizona for your needs.