Lumbar facet joint injection: indication, technique, clinical correlation, and preliminary results.

Abstract
Patients (54) underwent intraarticular injection of lumbar facet joints for the diagnosis and treatment of facet syndrome. Twenty-nine (54%) patients had initial pain relief and 11 (38%) of those who responded to facet block had prolonged relief. Six patients were free of pain for 6-12 mo. Patients who had not undergone previous surgery had a better initial response and longer improvement than those who had undergone laminectomy or spinal fusion.