Facet joints are an essential part of your spine’s structure, allowing you to twist, turn, bend and move.
Located between the adjacent vertebrae of the spine, these joints are in constant motion and provide your spine with stability and flexibility.
A common cause of lower back and lumbar pain is facet joint arthropathy, also called facet joint syndrome. If you struggle with back pain, this degenerative condition could be the cause.
At Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona, we specialize in treating patients who suffer from facet joint pain. With accurate diagnosis and a wide array of treatment plans, we can treat the source of your pain.
When the space between your vertebrae is diminished and osteoarthritis progresses, the bones are left to rub against each other.
Small nerves travel from the spinal cord to your facet joints. When facet joint syndrome sets in, these medial branch nerves can make any movement incredibly uncomfortable or painful.
It usually results from normal wear and tear, but injuries can worsen it. This condition can also affect younger people due to injury or overuse. Once the facet joint is damaged, it can cause long-lasting or permanent disability.
The most common causes of facet joint syndrome are:
Pain or discomfort in your low back, buttocks or legs can be caused by facet joint syndrome in the lumbar spine. If this disorder occurs in your cervical spine, symptoms are commonly experienced in the neck, shoulders and arms.
Some of the symptoms linked to facet joint syndrome include:
If you have facet joint syndrome, the board-certified surgeons at DISC will work tirelessly to develop a customized treatment plan based on your unique needs and lifestyle. We are experts in a full range of minimally invasive spine procedures. Many conservative treatment options can potentially bring significant relief, such as:
If conservative options are not enough, and your painful symptoms persist for more than three to six months, we may recommend an epidural steroid facet injection or medial branch diagnostic injection. These injections offer pain relief and often times pinpoints the pain generator in your back. If the pain is relieved we may offer a revolutionary long-term surgical option called an endoscopic rhizotomy.
Results of our endoscopic procedure have resulted in up to 5 years of back pain relief. If the pain in your low back becomes chronic or the facets become unstable we often recommend a lumbar spinal fusion, but only after exhausting our least invasive endoscopic spine surgery options.
If you’re struggling with facet joint syndrome and chronic pain that impacts your daily activities, work or quality of life, then it’s time to contact the team at DISC. We are doctors who treat facet joint syndrome at its source. Although we’re located in Arizona, patients come to us from all over the world to experience relief from their symptoms.
Our spine health blog features up-to-date spine education and expert spine tips from our spine specialists here at DISC.
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