What is Facet Joint Syndrome?
Neck or lower back pain starting after a simple twist,
awkward movement or just doing something your body didn't expect (such as
tripping) is often due to a locked facet joint.
Your facet joints are the bony joints at the back of your vertebrae that limit
and guide spinal movements.
Cervical (Neck) Facet Joints
When a facet joint locks, you may not be able to move in the direction away
from where it's locked. For example if it's locked in a flexed forward
position, you will probably have difficulty arching backwards. The opposite
also occurs.
The initial injury can sometimes occur days or occasionally weeks earlier. Your
body will attempt to compensate for the locked joint by the neighboring joints
moving more than they normally would. This can often cause pain on the opposite
side to the locked facet joint and can lead to other conditions such as
sciatica or arm pain.
People who have this problem recurrently are said to have facet joint syndrome.
The most common cause of facet joint syndrome is weak core stability muscles
that are failing to control movement of your spine. This causes the facet
joints to lock from time to time.
Lumbar (Low Back) Facet Joints
How to Fix Facet Joint Syndrome
The solution is relatively simple. Your physiotherapist will quickly detect
which facet joint is locked. Then proceed to unlock it. Usually a locked facet
can be unlocked using a painless joint releasing technique.
The most common treatments used to release a locked facet include:
- Joint Mobilisation
- Localised Joint Traction
- Physiotherapist Impact Mobilisation
- Soft Tissue Release / Relaxation Techniques
Years ago the
treatment of choice was a joint manipulation or joint cracking. Joint manipulations
are more traumatic to the joint, so they are only suggested on very rare occasions when the gentler pain-free techniques fail to unlock the joint.
How Can You Prevent a Recurrant Locked Facet Joint?
The best way to prevent a recurrence is to undertake a core stability
retraining program to control the excessive or sloppy joint movement around the spinal segment.
If you’d like to
know more information, please contact us.
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Common Treatments for Facet Joint Injuries
Helpful Products for Facet Joint Injuries
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