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Facet joint injection
A steroid injection to the facet joint, used to diagnose or manage pain in your lower back.
What is a facet joint?
Facet joints are thumbnail-sized pairs of joints in the neck, mid and lower back.
Sometimes, they can cause pain in the head, neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, bottom, groin or legs.
A time-release steroid injection can be used to locate which joints are causing pain and help reduce inflammation.
Need to know
You will be asked to lie on your front. Your consultant will do a type of X-ray called a fluroscopy to get real-time moving internal images of your spine on a screen.
They will use it to locate which facet joint they want to inject. This next part of the procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic, to block pain in the area. Your consultant will sterilise the skin on your back and inject a local anaesthetic. They will then use a larger needle to slowly inject a steroid solution into the affected facet joint.
This whole procedure usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes. It can sometimes take longer. You won't need to stay overnight.
Like all procedures, there may be some risks and side effects involved. Your consultant will explain these to you and explain the procedure to you. They also answer any questions you may have.
You'll need ask someone to help you get home from the hospital after the procedure, as you won't be able to drive right away. Make sure you tell your consultant if you're taking any medicine, including blood thinning medications.
After you've had the injection, you might feel some weakness in your legs. This happens if the nerves that control your movement have been temporarily affected. This doesn't last long.
You might feel some pain relief within 15 minutes of the procedure but it can up to a week.
Don't wait, pay for yourself
We offer this treatment at a fixed price at some of our facilities.
Our Facet joint injection locations
The Lister Hospital
Chelsea Bridge Road, SW1W 8RH London
The Wellington Hospital
8A Wellington Place NW8 9LE London
London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street SE1 2PR London
The Princess Grace Hospital
42-52 Nottingham Place W1U 5NY London
The Shard Outpatients
The Shard, 32 St Thomas Street SE1 9BS London
Patient stories
Yvette's story: From back pain to hip replacement surgery
Yvette (54) a journalist from Kent, started experiencing pain in her hip seven years ago in 2015. An ex-national gymnast who had been incredibly active and flexible her whole life, Yvette felt concerned about the growing discomfort impacting her quality of life, and so sought help from her GP.
A new hip and straight back into the spin of things
David’s gym video shows him repeatedly pushing up to 100kg on a single leg press – not particularly unusual for this keen cyclist, former competitive squash player and all-round fitness enthusiast. What is unusual is that 52-year-old David had hip surgery just 12 weeks earlier.
Michael's MAKO hip surgery to treat his arthritis
73 year-old Michael, an avid walker and charity worker, was diagnosed with arthritis in January 2021. After facing long waiting times and increasing pain that was becoming more frequent, he started to look elsewhere for treatment.
This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.