Medial Branch Block

A medial branch block is used as a diagnostic procedure to determine if the cause of a patient’s pain is due to the bony joints of the spine, known as facet joints.Using a fluoroscope (x-ray), the pain doctor will determine the location of the suspected painful facet joint. Once this has been confirmed, an anesthetic medication will be injected around the medial branch nerves, which are associated with the signals to and from the facet joints. This anesthetic temporarily blocks these signals and numbs the responses of these nerves.