Hi Diandra,

Actually, the doc is right. ESI's for the cervical spine are far more risky than facet injections. Facet injections are done in the joint and nowhere near the spinal cord. I was terrified of the one ESI I had for my cervical spine. It went well thank goodness but even my pain doc said they were far more risky. And in truth, the facet injections worked much better! I have never had the medial branch nerve(s) ablated in the cervical spine but have had them done in the lumbar. RF's work very, very well. At least for me. As for having this done in a hospital setting, it is not an "admission" so to say. It is a change in the law from what I understood. I am not sure if this was a new CMS rule or not. But I was told the same thing months and months ago. It is still somewhat confusing to me since my Mom had a lumber ESI in what I term the office setting. However, the group I go to also has a surgical suite so that may be the difference. Anyway, try the facet injections and if they work and ablation is next, you might find much longer relief.