There are many causes of low back pain. After therapy, medications have failed, spinal injections are a good next treatment for alleviating the pain. Nerve irritation, which would cause back and leg pain, a selective nerve block would be indicated. There, the nerve root block, or Epidural injection, would provide back and leg pain relief.

If a joint dysfunction, for example a facet joint, is causing a patient’s pain, a facet block would be indicated and this would give long-term pain relief. If the facet block only gave temporary relief, then a medial branch neurotomy would be indicated. This is a block of the nerve to the facet joint, which would provide long- term relief through heating up of that nerve. This typically gives relief for three months to a year and a half.