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Spinal injections: evidence and funding

Your patients are our members. They deserve safe, effective, clinically evidenced care that brings them real benefit and value.  

For this reason, we’ve reviewed the spinal injections offered to our members and the supporting clinical evidence for these procedures.

You can read below our latest funding provisions for specific procedures and the evidence base to support this position.

For queries on these provisions please contact specialistrelationships.health@axahealth.co.uk

Spinal injections: evidence and recommendations

Please note NICE recommendation on invasive treatments for low back pain and sciatica:

Spinal injections

1.3.1 Do not offer spinal injections for managing low back pain

Relevant documents: NICE NG59 2016. Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management (NG59). London.

Please note key feature of the National Low Back and Radicular Pain Pathway 2017

To de-commission treatments which are recommended against by NICE 2016 such as acupuncture, therapeutic injections for back pain including facet joint injections, TENS and other treatments.

Procedures in scope

Facet joint procedures 

Facet joint injection 

  • A5773 Facet joint injection +/- image guidance (including bilateral) cervical
  • A5774 Facet joint injection +/- image guidance (including bilateral) thoracic 
  • A5775 Facet joint injection +/- image guidance (including bilateral) lumbar