Facet Joint Disease

What is a facet joint?

Facet joints are joints of the spine that connect the vertebrae. These joints allow movement of the spine and make you able to bend over or turn your head. (Spine Center, 2008) These joints also help to keep the spine in alignment. Within each vertebra there are 4 facet joints--2 attaching the vertebrae to the one above it and 2 attaching it to the one beneath it. There is a lubricating material released from the lining of the joint called synovial fluid. This synovium lining and synovial fluid help the facets to glide over each other without bone rubbing against bone. When inflammatory conditions such as arthritis or degeneration develop within the spine, the synovium lining begins to wear off. This can cause back pain and can also prevent the facet joints from working correctly. Facet joint arthropathy is a frequent diagnosis for this condition when arthritis is the cause of the degeneration. (How to Prevent Back Pain, 2008)

If bending backwards and to one side mimics the pain you have been having, it is possible that a facet joint is the cause. When one side of the back is affected by facet joint dysfunction, pain is usually experienced on that same side. The pain can also radiate down the leg of the affected side (How to Prevent Back Pain, 2008)

Conservative treatment is usually tried first with facet joint pain—over the counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (aspirin, ibuprofen {Motrin or Advil}, or naproxen {Aleve}) and ice/heat packs are sometimes suggested as a first line of treatment. If this fails to improve the pain, stronger medications are sometimes used as well as facet joint injections with numbing and steroid medications. Physical therapy or a supervised exercise program can sometimes be beneficial for patients with facet joint pain.

Bibliography

How to Prevent Back Pain. (2008, March 11). Retrieved March 11, 2008, from Medline Plus : http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/howtopreventbackpain/htm/index.htm

Spine Center. (2008, March 11). Retrieved March 11, 2008, from NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases: http://www.med.nyu.edu/hjd/hjdspine/education/glossary/spinedefinitionlist.html