The cervical facet joints are the tiny joints in the neck that allow people to bend and twist their neck area. These joints are also common sources of neck and upper back pain. The cervical medial branches are the tiny nerves that supply these joints. After patients have shown 80-100% temporary relief from cervical medial branch blocks, they are candidates for the radio-frequency procedure. Under careful X-ray guidance, small radio-frequency cannulae are placed very close to the tiny cervical medial branch nerves and heat energy is used to destroy the nerves. Because the tiny nerves eventually grow back, the pain relief usually lasts 8 months to a year.