The cervical facet joints are small joints in the neck which can be affected by generalised wear and tear and arthritis. They are a common cause of neck pain and referred shoulder pain. There is no foolproof test which can determine the exact source of neck pain. The only reliable way of diagnosing and treating facet mediated pain is through diagnostic injections.

Dr Doger does not perform injections into the joint itself as the latest evidence recommends medial branch blocks instead using local anaesthetic and steroid. Cervical Medial Branch injections are done to assess if the facet joints are a major contributor to your neck pain.

The treatment is a 2 stage process:

The initial injections are purely diagnostic to establish the source of pain reliably.

Patients are offered stage 2 (Radiofrequency Denervation) only if the initial diagnostic injections provide reasonable pain relief. This is the current accepted medical standard and avoids unnecessary patient expenses.