833-377-7325

Facet Joint Injections
Peak Spine & Sports Medicine offers image-guided facet joint injections for back and neck pain in Marlton & Collingswood, NJ. Non-opioid care. Call (833) 377-7325.

Facet Joint Injections in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ

When spine pain is properly diagnosed and treated, everyday movement can start to feel more manageable again. Facet joint injections may help patients move toward relief from aching, stiff, or activity-related back and neck pain so they can sit, stand, work, travel, sleep, stay active with family, and return to the routines that make life feel normal.

Facet joint injections are targeted, image-guided treatments used to address pain and inflammation in the small joints of the spine, called facet joints. These joints help the spine bend, twist, and remain stable, but they can become painful due to arthritis, degeneration, injury, inflammation, or repetitive strain. At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, facet joint injections may be recommended when pain appears to be coming from the joints in the neck, mid back, or low back.

Our approach centers on opioid-free, interventional pain care with a strong focus on education, outcomes, and restored quality of life. Patients are cared for by Dr. Milind Patel, Dr. Jill Kalariya, and our interventional pain management team through a concierge, white-glove model designed to restore quality of life without opioids. Relief should not feel like another complicated medical process. Our team works to reduce delays, simplify next steps, and help patients move toward a clear plan for less pain and better function.

To find out whether facet joint injections may help reduce back or neck pain, call Peak Spine & Sports Medicine at (833) 377-7325 or conveniently request an appointment online today. Telehealth consults are available for convenience when appropriate. We proudly serve patients in Marlton, Haddonfield, Collingswood, Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding communities.

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What Are Facet Joint Injections?

Facet joint injections are targeted injections used to diagnose and treat pain that may be coming from the facet joints of the spine in the neck, mid back, or low back.

Facet joints are small joints located along the back of the spine. They allow the spine to move while also helping it remain stable. Like other joints in the body, facet joints can become irritated, inflamed, arthritic, or painful over time. When that happens, they may cause aching pain, stiffness, pain with standing, pain with extension, or pain that worsens with bending, twisting, or certain movements.

During a facet joint injection, a physician uses live X-ray guidance to place medication directly into the affected facet joint or joints. At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, this may include local anesthetic and, if appropriate, anti-inflammatory medication.

This allows the injection to help:

  • Calm pain and inflammation inside the affected facet joint
  • Help confirm whether the facet joint is a meaningful source of pain
  • Support a broader treatment plan when joint pain is one part of a larger pain pattern
  • Improve comfort with movement

Facet joint injections are closely related to medial branch blocks. A facet joint injection places medication into the joint itself, while a medial branch block targets the small nerves that carry pain signals from the facet joints. If longer-lasting relief is needed, the response to these treatments may help determine whether radiofrequency ablation is appropriate.

Facet joint injections are most often used for neck, mid back, or low back pain that appears to come from the facet joints. This is sometimes called facet-mediated pain or facet joint syndrome.

Patients may benefit from an evaluation for facet joint injections if they have:

  • Aching low back or neck pain
  • Stiffness in the lower back or neck
  • Pain that worsens with bending backward or twisting
  • Headaches or aching pain in the neck with motion
  • Pain from spinal arthritis or degenerative changes
  • Pain that has not improved enough with rest, activity changes, or conservative care
  • Pain after standing or walking for a period of time
  • Pain that feels more central than radiating

Facet joint injections are not the right treatment for every type of spine pain. For example, pain that travels sharply down the leg to the foot from a compressed nerve may require a different approach, such as an epidural steroid injection or another treatment. Pain that is primarily muscle-related may be better evaluated with trigger point injections. This is why Peak Spine & Sports Medicine begins with a thorough evaluation rather than a one-size-fits-all recommendation.

Facet joint injections work by delivering medication directly into the painful or inflamed facet joint.

When a facet joint becomes irritated, the joint can send pain signals through nearby nerves and surrounding tissues. This may create stiffness, aching pain, pain with movement, or pain that becomes worse with standing, walking, bending backward, or twisting.

During the procedure, the physician uses a live X-ray machine, called fluoroscopy, to guide the needle to the correct joint. Once the needle is positioned, the physician injects a small amount of medication into the facet joint. This may include local anesthetic to help reduce pain and, when appropriate, anti-inflammatory medication to calm irritation in the joint.

If pain improves after the injection, that response gives the physician valuable information. It may suggest that the targeted facet joint or joints are contributing to the pain. If relief is meaningful but temporary, the treatment plan may include additional diagnostic steps, continued conservative care, or radiofrequency ablation, which uses heat energy to quiet painful nerve signals for a longer period of time.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, this process is not treated as a routine checkbox. The team follows guideline-based techniques, documents carefully, and customizes the procedure based on the patient’s anatomy, symptoms, pain pattern, response to the injection, and goals.

Facet joint injections are usually brief outpatient procedures, but at Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, the experience begins well before the injection itself. Our team confirms the treatment area, reviews the purpose of the injection, and explains what the procedure is designed to show, treat, and help clarify.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine performs facet joint injections using national guideline-based techniques. Following nationally recognized guidelines helps ensure the right joints are targeted, the patient’s response is interpreted accurately, and any next step is based on reliable information rather than guesswork with safety and efficacy in mind.

Prior to treatment, our physicians will ask about a patient’s usual pain level, where they feel it, and which movements tend to bring it on. This helps establish a clear starting point, so the response after the injection can be measured in a meaningful way. For some patients, that may mean walking farther, sitting longer, standing more comfortably, turning the neck more easily, or moving through a workday with less interruption.

During the procedure, the team keeps the process calm, precise, and organized:

  • Patients are positioned carefully, so the treatment area can be accessed safely.
  • A live X-ray machine is used to identify the proper targets for injection.
  • Patients are given local anesthetic to numb the area.
  • Our physician places the needle into or near the targeted facet joint.
  • A small amount of local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory medication is delivered to the treatment area.
  • Patients are monitored before going home with clear aftercare instructions.
  • The skin is cleaned and numbed.

This allows facet joint injections to serve both a therapeutic and diagnostic purpose. The local anesthetic can help confirm whether the facet joint is a likely source of pain, while the anti-inflammatory medication may help calm irritation in the area.

This is where Peak Spine & Sports Medicine’s interventional approach matters. The procedure is not performed by feel or guesswork. Imaging guidance allows our physician to confirm placement, make adjustments when necessary, and treat the suspected pain source with a high level of accuracy.

The goal is to make the procedure feel straightforward for the patient while keeping the medical planning highly specific behind the scenes.

Recovery after facet joint injections is typically simple. Many patients return to light activity the same day or the next day, depending on their physician’s instructions and how they feel.

Some patients notice improvement quickly because of the local anesthetic. If anti-inflammatory medication is included, additional relief may develop over the next several days. Mild soreness near the injection site can happen and usually fades without issue.

What makes recovery at Peak Spine & Sports Medicine different is the level of attention given to what happens next. A patient’s response to the injection helps guide the larger treatment plan, so the team does not treat recovery as an afterthought. Patients may be asked to track how their pain changes, how long relief lasts, and whether they are able to do specific activities that normally aggravate their symptoms.

The team may ask:

  • Did the patient’s usual pain improve?
  • How much relief did the patient feel?
  • Were they able to sit, stand, walk, travel, golf, work, exercise, sleep, or move more comfortably?
  • Did the injection help one area more than another?
  • Did the pain return in the same pattern or in a different way?
  • How long did the relief last?

These details help our physician determine whether the facet joints are likely the source of pain and whether a longer-term option, such as radiofrequency ablation, may be appropriate.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, the procedure is one part of a broader plan. The team uses patient response to refine the next step, adjust the strategy, and keep treatment focused on what matters most: helping them move better and return to the parts of life they have been missing.

Relief from facet joint injections varies. Some patients experience short-term relief that helps confirm the diagnosis. Others may notice a longer period of improvement, especially when anti-inflammatory medication is part of the treatment plan.

For many patients, the most important value of a facet joint injection is the information it provides. If the injection produces significant relief, the physician may discuss whether continued conservative care, additional injections, medial branch blocks, or radiofrequency ablation may be appropriate.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine customizes each treatment plan based on the patient’s anatomy, symptoms, response to treatment, activity goals, and overall pain pattern. The team uses advanced equipment and image-guided technique rather than using the exact same setup for every patient.

Why Choose Peak Spine & Sports Medicine for Facet Joint Injections?

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine was built around a simple standard: this should be the kind of pain management practice we would want our own family members to visit.

That means patients are not rushed through a three-minute visit and handed a generic, cookie-cutter plan. Initial consultations are intentionally thorough. The team takes time to understand where the pain is coming from, how it affects daily life, what has already been tried, and what activities the patient needs to return to.

For one person, the priority may be sitting comfortably at a desk. For another, it may be walking through an airport, playing with grandchildren, getting through a golf trip, returning to work, exercising, or sleeping through the night. Those details matter because they shape the order, timing, and structure of the treatment plan.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine offers:

  • Concierge, white-glove pain management care
  • A non-opioid approach to pain care
  • Ivy League trained professionals
  • Double board-certified pain management physicians
  • Cutting-edge interventional techniques and technology
  • Live X-ray guidance for precision and safety
  • Guideline-based facet joint injection procedures
  • Telehealth consults when appropriate
  • A helpful staff that works to reduce the burden on patients
  • Insurance access for eligible PPO/POS patients with out-of-network benefits

Care is led by Dr. Milind Patel and Dr. Jill Kalariya, double board-certified pain management physicians who perform advanced interventional procedures in the outpatient surgery center. Brian Brown, PA supports patients through conservative care, diagnostic workups, imaging coordination, therapy recommendations, and follow-up planning, helping each patient move through care with clarity.

Our practice is selective with insurance because the model is built around quality, not volume. We work for the patient, not the insurance company. That gives the team more time to listen, explain, coordinate care, and work for the patient rather than designing the visit around an insurance company’s schedule.

Visit our Why Choose Us page to learn more.

How Much Do Facet Joint Injections Cost in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ?

The cost of facet joint injections depends on the treatment plan, the number of joints treated, the facility, and insurance benefits.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine primarily works with patients who have PPO or POS insurance plans with out-of-network benefits. The practice is out of network for most insurance plans, which allows the team to maintain a smaller, more personalized model with longer visits, tailored treatment plans, more education, and less pressure to rush patients through care.

Many patients are surprised to learn that out-of-network care with PPO/POS plan benefits are typically much more accessible than they expected. The Peak Spine & Sports Medicine team can help review benefits, explain the process, and determine whether the practice is a good fit.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not participate with EPO, HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid plans. This allows our office to see our new and existing patients quickly.

Patients visit Peak Spine & Sports Medicine in Marlton and Collingswood from Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding areas because they want high-level interventional pain care without an opioid-first approach.

Facet joint injections are commonly performed pain management procedures, but every procedure carries some risk. Possible side effects may include temporary soreness, bruising, bleeding, infection, allergic reaction, temporary numbness, or lack of meaningful pain relief.

Safety depends on careful patient selection, sterile technique, accurate needle placement, and appropriate follow-up. At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, facet joint injections are performed with live X-ray guidance, so the physician can see the treatment area in real time and confirm placement before medication is delivered.

The goal is to be precise, intentional, and conservative with medication while still treating the source of pain effectively.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not use opioids as a shortcut for pain care.

Our practice focuses on interventional procedures because many pain problems are focal. A painful facet joint, irritated nerve, disc issue, muscle, or joint problem often requires a targeted solution. Medication taken by mouth circulates through the whole body. That can mean higher doses, more side effects, limited benefit, and no clear endpoint.

Interventional pain management is different. It is designed to identify the source of pain and treat it directly. For the right patient, facet joint injections can provide useful diagnostic information, meaningful relief, and a path toward longer-term improvement and restored quality of life.

Schedule a Facet Joint Injection Consultation in Marlton or Collingswood, NJ

Back or neck pain should not decide how much life a patient gets to enjoy. Whether the goal is to golf again, travel more comfortably, sit through work, play with the kids or grandkids, exercise, sleep better, or simply move through the day with less pain, Peak Spine & Sports Medicine can help patients understand their options.

For facet joint injections in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ, contact Peak Spine & Sports Medicine at (833) 377-7325 or schedule a consultation online today. Our team will help determine whether the pain pattern, goals, and insurance benefits make our concierge interventional pain model the right fit.

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Facet Joint Injections Marlton, NJ – FAQs

Most patients tolerate the procedure well. The skin is numbed before the injection, and the physician uses image guidance to keep the procedure precise. Some pressure or brief discomfort may occur, but the procedure is usually quick.

Facet joint injections are used to treat pain that may be coming from the small joints of the spine. They may be used for low back pain, neck pain, mid back pain, stiffness, pain with movement, spinal arthritis, or facet-related pain that has not improved enough with conservative care.

No. Facet joint injections place medication into or near the facet joint itself. Medial branch blocks target the small nerves that carry pain signals from the facet joints. Our physician will recommend the appropriate treatment based on the suspected source of pain.

No. Facet joint injections treat pain that may be coming from the facet joints. Epidural steroid injections are typically used for pain related to nerve irritation, such as pain that travels into the arm or leg. Our physician will recommend the appropriate treatment based on the source of pain.

Yes, facet joint injections may be used in the neck, mid-back, or low back when the facet joints are suspected to be the source of pain. The low back and neck are among the most common areas treated.

Some patients feel relief within a short period because of the local anesthetic. Our physician will explain what to track after the procedure, including how much relief is experienced and how long it lasts.

Relief varies. Some patients experience short-term relief that helps confirm the diagnosis, while others notice longer improvement when anti-inflammatory medication is included and the injection is combined with continued conservative care, therapy, activity changes, or treatment of an underlying condition.

If facet joint injections improve the usual pain, our physician may use that information to guide the next step in the treatment plan. This may include continued conservative care, additional injections when appropriate, medial branch blocks, or radiofrequency ablation for longer-lasting relief.

If facet joint injections do not improve the usual pain, that information is still useful. It may mean the facet joints are not the primary pain source, and the team will reassess whether the pain may be coming from the spine, nerves, muscles, joints, or another structure.

Some patients benefit from therapy after pain is better controlled. Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not provide physical therapy in-house, but the team may refer patients to outside physical therapy when strengthening, mobility, posture, or spinal support is part of the plan.

In many cases, yes. Telehealth consults may be available to help expedite evaluation, review symptoms, and determine whether an in-person exam or procedure consultation is appropriate.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine accepts insurance and primarily works with PPO and POS plans that have out-of-network benefits. The practice does not participate with EPO, HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid plans. The team can help patients determine whether their benefits may apply.