What is the Difference Between Facet Joint Injection and Epidural Steroid Injection?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚Facet joint injections and epidural steroid injections are both minimally invasive treatments for chronic back pain, but they differ in their targets and conditions they treat. Here are the main differences between the two:
Facet Joint Injections:
- Target: Facet joints, which are small connections within the spine's bones.
- Conditions treated: Back pain that involves aches in the lower back, arthritis, and degenerative disc disease.
- Effect: More focused on localized pain treatment and can last for 3 to 6 months.
- Injections: Can be anesthetic or steroidal.
Epidural Steroid Injections:
- Target: Epidural space between the spine and bones, specifically for pain caused by sciatica or spinal stenosis.
- Conditions treated: Back pain that radiates to the arm or legs, sciatica, and spinal stenosis.
- Effect: Provides global pain relief and is more suitable for short-term therapy or in conjunction with other treatments.
- Injections: Used to treat inflammation or pinched nerves, and can help alleviate the pain caused by sciatica.
In summary, facet joint injections are more focused on localized pain treatment in the facet joints of the spine, while epidural steroid injections target the epidural space to treat radiating pain caused by conditions like sciatica or spinal stenosis. Both injections provide pain relief, but the choice between them depends on the patient's specific condition and pain location.
Comparative Table: Facet Joint Injection vs Epidural Steroid Injection
Here is a table comparing facet joint injection and epidural steroid injection:
Feature | Facet Joint Injection | Epidural Steroid Injection |
---|---|---|
Purpose | Treats localized pain within the facet joints, often due to degenerative or arthritic conditions | Treats pain that radiates into different areas, often caused by inflamed or pinched nerves |
Target Area | Small joints located between each vertebra on the back of the spine | Focuses on the lower extremity, including neck, back, leg, and arm pain |
Injection Type | Delivers pain-relieving medication (anesthetic and/or steroids) to the spine | Delivers pain-relieving medication (anesthetic and/or steroids) to the spinal nerves |
Procedure | Called a facet block | Can be delivered through interlaminar, transforaminal, or caudal approaches |
Risk Factors | Pregnancy, diabetes, heart failure, and NSAID use are potential contraindications | Potential side effects include bleeding, headaches, infection, and a temporary increase in pain |
Facet joint injections are more focused on treating localized pain within the facet joints, while epidural steroid injections are designed to treat pain that radiates into different areas of the body. Epidural steroid injections can be delivered through various approaches, such as interlaminar, transforaminal, or caudal, depending on the location and source of pain.
- Spinal vs Epidural Anesthesia
- Epidural vs Subdural
- Steroid vs Corticosteroid
- Subcutaneous Intramuscular vs Intravenous Injection
- Ankylosing Spondylitis vs Psoriatic Arthritis
- Spinal Stenosis vs Spondylosis
- Vaccine vs Injection
- Steroidal vs Nonsteroidal Anti inflammatory Drugs
- Sciatica vs Spinal Stenosis
- Ankylosing Spondylitis vs Degenerative Disc Disease
- Ankylosing Spondylitis vs Cervical Spondylosis
- Glucocorticoids vs Corticosteroids
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis vs Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Anterolisthesis vs Spondylolisthesis
- Sacroiliitis vs Sciatica
- Degenerative Disc Disease vs Spinal Stenosis
- Foraminal Stenosis vs Spinal Stenosis
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome vs Osteoarthritis
- Spondylosis vs Spondylolisthesis