If you suffer from chronic neck pain that has failed to respond to treatment, this simple, diagnostic procedure can pinpoint the source of your pain in order to determine the most effective course of action.  Inflammation of the small joints between spinal bones called facets can cause neck pain, mid-back pain and/or low back pain. A Medial Branch Block is a procedure that can not only determine which facet joint in the neck is causing pain, but can also be effective at eliminating that pain at the same time.
A medial branch block is an injection of medication outside the joint space near the nerve that feeds a specific joint. If pain is relieved, it could mean the facet joint that is generating the pain has been identified.