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With cartilage that lines the joint allowing bones to glide smoothly over each other and a capsule surrounding the joint, a facet joint is pretty much the same as any other joint in your body.
With the vertebrae needing support, stability and mobility the facet joint plays this role well. Each vertebrae has two facet joints which are located on each side of it. Facet disease is most commonly found in the lumbar region of the back but may be present in any other level of the spine.
Facet Thermal Ablation
The process for a facet thermal ablation is quite similar to a root canal that a dentist performs. A laser is used by the surgeon to clean and deaden the nerve that innervates the facet joint and is causing the painful symptoms. Facet thermal ablation refers to the laser eradication of the affected nerve.
A facet thermal ablation is used to treat the following conditions:
- Facet Disease
- Facet Joint Syndrome
- Facet Hypertrophy
- Facet Arthritis
- Degenerative Facet Joints
All these terms describe and mean pretty much the same thing - arthritis or facet join degeneration.
A facet thermal ablation is preformed without any need for general anesthesia and can be performed in an outpatient surgical setting.
A round Depuy tube is inserted through an incision after a local anesthetic is administered and the incision is made. There is very minimal damage done to the surrounding muscles as the tube allows the surgeon to perform the facet thermal ablation. When the tube is inserted in place the muscles are only pushed out of the way and not cut or torn.
The small tube is about 5mm (roughly the same size of a drinking straw) and the procedure is completed through its use. The laser, fiber optics and irrigation are all placed in the tube and surgery is performed on the facet joint. The laser is used by the surgeon performing the thermal ablation to clean the joint and dead the nerve that innervates the joint. This procedure will resolve the pain that is associated with the joint and only take about 40 minutes. If the patient has a companion with them, after one or two hours of monitoring then will be allowed to go.