It’s estimated that as many as thirty million people in the United States suffer from nerve damage. One of the worst types of nerve pains tends to occur around the facet joint. This joint, which is found at the back of your spine, can become inflamed.
There are a variety of irritants, but one of the common ones is the nerve that supplies the facet joint: the medial branch nerve. In these cases, a doctor might recommend a medial branch block as a diagnostic tool.
But exactly how long does a medial branch block last? In this guide, we’ll discuss both what this procedure entails and how long you can expect it to last.
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What Is a Medial Branch Block?
The medial branch block is a diagnostic procedure. It’s used to determine if the cause of your pain is coming from the medial branch nerve. This, in turn, helps your doctors make a more effective pain treatment plan for you.
Here’s how it works: pain medication is injected outside of your facet joint near the nerve. Whether or not you still experience pain provides professionals with a clearer idea of which treatment option would best fit your pain.
The good news is that this isn’t an intensive or time-consuming procedure to complete.
How Long Does It Take to Do?
A medial branch block is a quick procedure. All together, you should be in and out in under an hour. During this time you’ll talk to the doctor, sign any consent forms, get the injection, and go to the recovery room before leaving. The injection itself will only take minutes.
Sometimes doctors will give you two injections a few days apart. The first time a long-acting anesthetic is used, while the second time a short-acting one is injected. Your doctor will give you more information on the specific types of pain management available to you.
How Long Does a Medial Branch Block Last?
The medial branch block will provide you with some pain relief. However, it likely won’t last long. Usually, the pain will return within a few hours. In other cases, it can help with managing your pain for a few days.
Steps to Take After the Procedure
A medial branch block is used to determine if a more long-term pain treatment method is viable. Specifically, it’s used to test the efficacy of Radiofrequency Ablation. This pain treatment seeks to burn the nerves in the area causing you pain.
However, the only way to be certain that it will work is to use a medial branch block first. If you still experience pain after the procedure, then pain management doctors will walk you through your other options.
Appreciate Learning About a Medial Branch Block? Keep Exploring
We hope this guide helped you answer the question, How long does a medial branch block last? As you can see, the block shouldn’t last more than a couple of days.
Remember that this procedure isn’t meant as a form of pain treatment, but rather a diagnosis tool to decide which treatment option is best for your
