What is the Difference Between Facet Joint Injection and Epidural Steroid Injection

The key difference between facet joint injection and epidural steroid injection is that facet joint injection is a non-invasive method that primarily treats pain around the facet joints, while epidural steroid injection is a non-invasive method that primarily treats pain that radiates from the spine to other parts of the body, such as the back, arm, or leg.

Chronic pain in the human body makes life quite difficult. This pain can be due to conditions like disc herniation, degenerative discs, spinal stenosis, and annular tear. These conditions can cause intense pain, weakness, and discomfort in the back, thigh, legs, and buttocks. Facet joint injection and epidural steroid injection are two non-invasive methods to treat patients suffering from chronic pain.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Facet Joint Injection 
3. What is Epidural Steroid Injection
4. Similarities – Facet Joint Injection and Epidural Steroid Injection
5. Facet Joint Injection vs Epidural Steroid Injection in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Facet Joint Injection vs Epidural Steroid Injection

What is Facet Joint Injection?

Facet joint injection is an injection that delivers anesthetic or steroid medications to the spine. Facet joints are small connections located in the spinal bones. The nerve roots in the spine are usually passed through these joints. The primary function of these joints is to allow your spine to move or twist. Therefore, doctors use facet joint injections for therapeutic and diagnostic reasons to control pain that results from arthritic or degenerative conditions on facet joints.

The conditions affecting facet joints may include arthritis, joint pain in the neck, and facet joints syndrome. It is a relatively simple, straightforward procedure that is normally performed in a hospital. However, there can be several side effects in this procedure, such as allergic reaction, bleeding, infection, discomfort at the point of the injection, worsening of pain symptoms, and nerve or spinal cord damage leading to paralysis.

What is Epidural Steroid Injection?

Epidural steroid injection is a non-invasive method that primarily treats medical conditions such as disc herniation, annular tear, degenerative changes, compression fracture, and spinal stenosis. It manages pain that radiates from the spine to other parts of the body, such as the back, arm, or leg. Traditionally, epidural injections are used to treat lower back or lower extremity pain. This method contains a potent corticosteroid that has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. After the drug is injected, the drug relieves local and referred pain.

In addition, physicians use epidural steroid injections to identify the root cause of pain. In this case, an epidural steroid injection is given to a nerve root or nerve to discover the exact point of injury or inflammation. Furthermore, possible side effects of epidural steroid injections include nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, fainting due to anxiety, and flushing of the face (redness and feeling of warmth).

What are the Similarities Between Facet Joint Injection and Epidural Steroid Injection?

• Facet joint injection and epidural steroid injection are two non-invasive methods to treat patients suffering from chronic pain.
• They are relatively less hazardous than surgical methods.
• Both methods may use steroids to relieve pain.
• They are relatively inexpensive.
• Both may cause side effects.

What is the Difference Between Facet Joint Injection and Epidural Steroid Injection?

Facet joint injection is a non-invasive method that primarily treats pain around the facet joints, while epidural steroid injection is a non-invasive method that primarily treats pain that radiates from the spine to other parts of the body, such as the back, arm, or leg. Thus, this is the key difference between facet joint injection and epidural steroid injection. Furthermore, facet joint injection uses anesthetics or steroids to relieve pain, while epidural steroid injection uses corticosteroids to relieve pain.

The below infographic presents the differences between facet joint injection and epidural steroid injection in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Facet Joint Injection vs Epidural Steroid Injection

Facet joint and epidural steroid injections are two non-invasive methods to treat chronic pain patients. They can be used to manage weakness and discomfort in the back, thigh, legs, and buttocks. Both these methods may use steroids as the drug to relieve the pain. However, facet joint injection is used primarily to treat the pain around the facet joints, while epidural steroid injection is used primarily to treat the pain that radiates from the spine to other parts of the body, such as the back, arm, or leg. So, this summarizes the difference between facet joint injection and epidural steroid injection.

Reference:

1. Ray Baker. “Facet Joint Injection Potential Risks and Complications.” Spine Health.
2. Richard Staehler. “Epidural Steroid Injections: Risks and Side Effects.” Spine Health.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Blausen 0391 FacetJointInjection” By Blausen.com staff (2014).”Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014″. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Blausen 0354 EpiduralSteroidInjection” By Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical Gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia