Medial Branch Block (MBB)

MBB is used as a therapeutic and/or diagnostic tool. The physician can determine where the patient’s pain is coming from by disconnecting signals of severe pain to prevent them from traveling to the brain. The next course of action in treating the patient is to find a long-term solution to the pain.

The procedure is X-ray and/or ultrasound-guided. The provider precisely injects a local anesthetic and/or steroid into the appropriate locations. Once the injections are completed, the pain may improve immediately, or it could take up to three days.

Patients require little to no downtime. They return two weeks after the procedure for a re-evaluation. At this time, the provider determines if another course of action is needed to keep you pain-free.