Medial Branch Block in Palm Coast, FL

A precise, image-guided injection that numbs the small nerves supplying a facet joint — helping confirm it as your pain source and guiding what comes next.

What it treats

Medial branch blocks are one of our key tools for diagnosing and treating facet-joint-related pain in the lower back, including:

If your pain worsens with twisting or arching backward and improves with rest, a medial branch block is often among the first steps Dr. López takes to confirm the cause.

How it works

Each facet joint is supplied by small nerves called medial branches, which carry pain signals from the joint toward the spinal cord. This procedure delivers a local anesthetic directly around one or more of these nerves, temporarily blocking the pain signal from that specific joint. A clear, repeatable improvement in your usual pain afterward is strong evidence that joint is the source — information that shapes everything that follows.

Dr. Manuel López, a board-certified pain management and rehabilitation physician, performs every injection under precise image guidance, confirming the needle reaches exactly the targeted nerve before anything is delivered.

What to expect

This is an outpatient procedure performed in a controlled clinical setting — you come in and go home the same day.

• Before: the injection site is cleaned and numbed with local anesthetic. Most patients are awake and comfortable throughout.
• During: using image guidance, Dr. López directs a thin needle to the targeted nerves and delivers a small amount of anesthetic. You may feel pressure; sharp pain is not the norm.
• After: you’re asked to track how your usual pain responds over the next several hours, since that response is part of the diagnostic information. Plan to have someone drive you home.

Because part of the value of this procedure is what your response tells us, Dr. López will ask you to note when and how much relief you experience. He’ll go over what your specific results mean and what treatment fits your case best — we’d rather give you a personal answer than a generic one.

Is it right for you?

You may be a strong candidate if:

• Your pain pattern suggests a facet joint — worse with twisting, arching backward, or standing from sitting
• Conservative treatment hasn’t resolved a pain pattern that keeps pointing back to the same area
• You want a clear answer on whether a specific joint is driving your pain before pursuing further treatment

Certain conditions — like active infection or bleeding disorders — need to be reviewed first. Candidacy is a medical decision, and it starts with an exam: bring your history and imaging, and Dr. López will tell you plainly whether this is the right next step for your case.

Take the first step

If facet joint pain is limiting how you move, find out for certain whether that’s the source. One consultation gives you a diagnosis, a plan, and straight answers.

Call (386) 222-7746 or request an appointment.