The spine has two small joints at each vertebral level. They lie one on each side between the two adjoining vertebrae, these joints are called facet joints.  Facet joints in the lumbar, cervical and less commonly the thoracic region are frequent causes of back pain that does not radiate to the extremities. These joints are amenable to treatment. Treatment protocol for these joints include:
Medial branch blocks: This is done by numbing the nerves that take the feeling of pain from these joints (medial branches) two blocks are done to confirm that the target facets are the definite source of pain.
Radiofrequency ablation of the medial branches:  If both of the two medial branch blocks are successful in relieving the patient’s pain, ablation or burning of these nerves (Radiofrequency ablation) can be done. This treatment provides a longer lasting pain relief.
Both medial branch blocks and radiofrequency ablations are done precisely using small needles, under x-ray guidance, with local anesthesia, and the patient goes home shortly after the procedure.