What causes a hernia, how does it pass?
A herniated disc, also called a slipped disc or ruptured disc, strains the weakened or ruptured disc, putting pressure on the nerves exiting the spinal cord; This can cause severe pain. While nerve pressure is in the lumbar region, pain can also be seen in the waist, hip, or leg regions, which are the target organs of these nerves.
The lumbar spine is made up of five vertebrae and discs. This region is known as the place that bears the most body weight. A herniated disc, which is very common today, is a disease that occurs when a tear develops at the edges of the disc joint between the vertebrae and the contents of the disc enter the spinal canal and press on the nerves that go to the legs and sometimes on the spine.
The vertebrae surround the spinal cord and prevent it from getting damaged. Disc herniation occurs when the cartilage between the vertebrae slips and tears due to heavy loading (heavy lifting, staying in the same position for a long time, being subjected to strain, falling, being overweight, and multiple births) and compression of the nerves coming out of the spinal cord .
Surgical treatment can reduce or eliminate patients’ pain more quickly and predictably. It is believed that it can positively influence nerve repair in patients with loss due to nerve compression. Specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Dr. Özkan Yükselmiş tells you all the details of facetin injection, which is nowadays often asked and noticed in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation.
Facetin injection is an interventional treatment that provides mobility and flexibility of the spine in low back pain caused by four facet joints between the two vertebrae, namely upper, lower, left and right.
While patients with a herniated disc complain of pain when bending forward, patients with facet joint disease complain of pain that gets worse when they stand up after sitting for a long time, stay in the same position for a long time, or lie on their back.
WHO IS FACESET INJECTION SUITABLE FOR?
Before the face injection procedure, the patient must be assessed by a specialist physician. Able to inject; Individuals who are suitable for the procedure, whose lower back pain negatively affects the person’s quality of life, whose herniated disc is not advanced, who are not taking any heavy medications, and who are not at risk of pregnancy.
The injection method is not suitable for infected patients with lesions, patients with bleeding disorders and patients taking blood thinners.
IT IS A LOCAL PROCEDURE APPLIED FOR PAIN AND EDEMA
The patient lies face down in the lumbar region and supine in the neck region. The procedure is started under local anesthesia. Using imaging methods, needle electrodes reach the facet joints and the nerves in the facet joints. The operation is performed after checking the position of the needle with a special technique. The procedure takes 20 minutes and the patient can resume his daily life after the procedure.
The most critical point in applying facet injection is the expertise and experience of the physician. Even if the procedure carries less risk compared to surgical methods, specialist doctors should be consulted for safe and effective results. In the case of wrong transactions, difficult results can be achieved.
Facetin injections are known to relieve low back pain in half of patients for more than six months.
After the injection procedure, the advice and recommendations of the specialist should be followed carefully. The patient should be instructed in how to move, carry, and lift weights. Once the pain has healed, it’s important to start regular, moderate exercise. Even if the pain is mostly gone, these activities should be gradually increased over a week or two to prevent the pain from returning.