Facet Joint Syndrome
September 10, 2009 by Back & Neck Pain Resources
Filed under Back Pain Conditions, Medical Conditions That Cause Back Pain
Many people who feel pain in various locations around their back (upper or lower) would usually shrug it off, and just take pain killer for it to go away. While this may work in some cases, they may be skipping the fact that it is a sign of a much more complicated situation. They may not immediately understand that the pains they are feeling are symptoms of Facet Joint Syndrome.
What is Facet Joint Syndrome?
To be able to understand Facet Joint Syndrome, it is important to know what Facet Joints are. Facet joints are the ones that link the vertebrae directly above and below to form a working unit that allows the motions of your spine.
When the facet joint breaks down due to wear and tear, they can get inflamed and cause pain and stiffness in the lower back or neck. They would also display some other symptoms such as a deep or dull ache in the lower back, pain when twisting the body, and difficulty in standing or getting out of a chair.
The occurrence of this dull pain and difficulty in movement due to the breakdown of the facet joints is what is usually classified as facet joint syndrome.
What Causes Facet Joint Syndrome:
There are two main causes for facet joint syndrome to happen in your lower back:
The first is Spinal Degeneration. Spinal degeneration is a usual experience for anyone. As the person ages, there would also be a decline or deterioration in the overall bone structure, including the ones in the spine such as the vertebrae and the intervertebral discs. When these bone structures decline, the facet joints become more strained, and would lead to facet joint syndrome.
The other cause is back injury. A back injury either from sports or from your regular activities, can actually hasten the breakdown of the facet joints. In fact, a really traumatic injury could actually reshape the spinal facet joint anatomy. These structural damages in the facet joints would then cause the inflammation and pain that you feel.
What are the common treatments for Facet joint syndrome?
When people experience facet joint syndrome, the usual recourse would be to just make the pain go away, and not really treat the condition.
As such, people would usually take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or use a variety of topical creams and hot and cold packs to be able to dull the pain.
What can I do to feel better?
As you have read from above, facet joint syndrome could come from the natural degradation of our spines as we age. As such, if you would be able to strengthen the muscles and joints in your back, it would be easier for you to hold off or delay the degradation thereby lessening the chance of facet joint syndrome from occurring.
To be able to strengthen your muscles you could try Muscle Balance Therapy which would try to strengthen your muscles in a way that they would not be strained when you use them in your full range of motion.
Other than this, you could also try inversion therapy which would help in reseating the facet joints so that they would not be as painful as before.
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