• medication
• behavior modification
• physical therapy
• chiropractic adjustment
• injections into the joint

If the pain does not abate through any of these standard, conservative measures, in all likelihood you have sustained a facet joint injury. Facet joint injuries can cause severe pain even when no injury is evident on an MRI.

About Facet Joints

The spine is comprised of facets joints. They facilitate movement. There are two sets of facet joints at the back of each vertebra — one facing up, one facing down, and a joint on either side of each vertebra. Facet joints allow flexing, extending, and twisting motion. The interlocking nature of facet joints give the spine its stability.

Each facet joint is connected to two medial nerves that carry signals (including pain signals) away from the spine to the brain and the rest of the body.

How Radiofrequency Neurotomy Works

A radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN) is a type of injection procedure in which heat is used to injure specific nerves with the goal of killing the nerve. If the nerve is killed, it will interrupt the pain signals to the brain and eliminate the pain.

The doctor is able to pinpoint the exact nerve by using gentle electric pulses through a needle. When the painful nerve is found, it causes muscle twitches or tingling sensations. That confirms that the needle is precisely positioned next to the targeted spinal nerve branch.

Radiofrequency neurotomy provides relief from pain in about 75% of the cases. It is important to realize that RFN is a treatment, not a cure. The nerves will regenerate about every 11-12 months. The procedure will need to be repeated every year in order to maintain pain-free living.

Radiofrequency Neurotomy Complications

As with all medical procedures, there are possible complications with a radiofrequency neurotomy. Complications seldom occur with this procedure, but they could include:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Pain around the injection site
• Numbness around the injection site
• Worsened pain due to muscle spasms in the area of the injection
• Permanent nerve pain
• Allergic reaction to medication
• Nerve or spinal cord injury

RFN is fairly expensive, ranging from $3,000 – $10,000 per treatment. Insurance companies will fight to keep from paying for this treatment. It is vital to have a spinal cord injury attorney with experience in radiofrequency neurotomy to receive optimal compensation.

This information is provided as a service of TSR Injury Law, a leading personal injury law firm serving Minneapolis and the entire state of Minnesota. Our partners are skilled litigators with years of experience handling spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and workplace injuries. Call 612-362-0000 or submit our free consultation form.

Risks for spine surgery are:

• Infection in wound or vertebral bones
• Blood clots
• Spinal fluid leak
• Bleeding
• Damage to a nerve, causing weakness, pain, or loss of feeling
• Ineffective surgery – partial or no relief of pain

There are many variations of laminectomy. In the least invasive surgery small incisions are made, muscles in the back are pushed aside rather than cut, and the parts of the vertebra next to the lamina are not disturbed.

The conventional laminectomy is a more invasive surgery. In this type of surgery, the lamina is removed, the entire posterior backbone is removed — including the facet joint, and some sections of ligaments and muscles are removed. The usual recovery period depends on which type of laminectomy has been performed: days in the minimal procedure, and weeks to months with the conventional surgery.

If a conventional laminectomy is performed, with removal of substantial amounts of bone and tissue, an additional procedure, called spinal fusion, may be required to stabilize the spine. Laminectomy with spinal fusion requires a longer recovery period. An additional complication with spinal fusion is that your spinal column above and below the fusion is more likely to cause problems in the future, possibly more surgery.

This information is a service provided by TSR Injury Law, a leading personal injury law firm serving Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. Our partners are experts in spinal injury cases as a result of car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and workplace injuries. Call 612-362-0000 or submit our free consultation form.

With age, the spinal disc gradually looses its elasticity, becoming more rigid, and is more vulnerable to injury. Many herniated disc injuries occur in car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, or workplace accidents.

The symptoms include:

• Back pain that penetrates to the buttocks and legs, if the herniated disc is in your lower back
• Neck pain that penetrates to the shoulders and upper arms, if the herniated disc is in your upper back
• Tingling or numbness
• Muscle spasms or weakness
• Bowel or bladder problems

Treatments include:

• rest
• pain and anti-inflammatory medicines
• ice and heat applications
• physical therapy
• sometimes surgery

Surgery is necessary if there are fragments of the spinal disc causing pressure on the nerve. These fragments need to be removed. This procedure is called a discectomy.

The most common surgery is called an open discectomy. An open discectomy is a procedure where the surgeon makes a small incision and looks at the actual herniated disc in order to remove the disc and relieve the pressure on the nerve. The second type of surgery is called an endoscopic microdiscectomy. The surgeon uses special instruments and a camera to remove the herniated disc through minute incisions. This procedure is done to remove the herniated disc, just like the traditional open discectomy, but uses a smaller incision.

After a severe impact, it is important to go to the hospital, have an examination, have x-rays, and let your condition stabilize. When you get into an accident, you frequently have an adrenaline rush — that rush can prevent you from feeling a herniated disc injury. Having an examination will also provide concrete evidence of your condition, should you need to seek legal representation to receive a fair compensation from the insurance.

This information is provided as a service of TSR Injury Law, a distinguished law firm with a reputation for being able to establish fault and prove liability in car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and workplace injuries. Call 612-362-0000 or submit our free consultation form.

Categories of Spinal Injury:

• Herniated Discs
• Laminectomies
• Paraplegia
• Radiofrequency Neurotomies
• Soft Tissue Injuries
• Spinal Fusion
• Burst Fractures

Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

A spinal cord injury is a medical emergency. Immediate treatment can reduce long-term effects. The emergency care for spinal injuries has improved significantly. Emergency rooms now aggressive treat and rehabilitate patients with spinal cord injuries. They are able to minimize the damage to the nervous system with use of the steroid drug methylprednisolone; given within the first 8 hours after injury it reduces damage to the nerves. In some cases, this aggressive treatment will even restore limited abilities.

If respiratory complications are included, that usually means a more severe and long-term debilitating injury. Approximately one-third of neck-area spinal cord injury victims will need help with breathing which will require respiratory support.

Eventually treatment will include rehabilitation therapy. The rehabilitation program will combine physical therapy, skill-building activities, and counseling for social and emotional issues.

Spinal Cord Injury Prognosis

Victims sustaining incomplete spinal cord injuries, where the spinal cord is still able to convey messages to and from the brain, will retain some motor and / or sensory functions below the injury. The amount of function will be determined by the amount of damage and how regularly and aggressively physical therapy is performed.

A complete spinal cord injury means that there is a total lack of sensory and motor function below the point of injury. This will usually mean many more medical complications. The complications may include:

• chronic pain
• bladder dysfunction
• bowel dysfunction
• respiratory problems
• heart problems

These chronic conditions need to be handled and monitored on a daily basis to optimize the degree of recovery.

This information is provided as a service of TSR Injury Law. Our Minnesota Spinal Injury Attorneys are skilled, aggressive litigators with years of experience with cases involving spinal injuries from car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, or pedestrian accidents. Call 612-362-0000 or submit our free consultation form.