By Sumaiya Farheen and Andrew Siyabalawatte, March 2023.
The facet joints of the neck and the lower back are common areas of pain. This is due to the position and the function of these joints. Pain often originates from the facet joints due to excessive load over a period of time.
What are the Facet Joints?
The facet joints are small fragments of the spine located between each vertebra that allow you to move. They provide stability and flexibility needed to perform basic activities, including walking or turning your head. Cartilage covers them-a smooth, elastic, rubber-like tissue that lets the bones glide easily over each other.
It is when the movement of the facet joints become restricted that can lead to facet joint pain.
How do you know?
The pain occurs occasionally and unpredictably, perhaps scattered over several months.
Sitting for long periods aggravates facet joint pain and riding in a car may be nearly intolerable.
When the pain occurs, pressing on the skin in that area may cause soreness or tenderness; the muscles tighten in response to pressure or movement (guarding reflex).
If irritation affects a facet joint in the neck, it can cause nerve symptoms that travel down the arm. If compression occurs in the lower back, it can send pain to one side of the buttock and the back of the upper leg.
It may not hurt to bend or lean forward, in fact, bending forward may even relieve some of the pain as this movement opens the facet joints, but doing it backward produces a definite “ouch!”. This is because extension of the spine further irritates the facet joints as they come together.
If the pain is in the middle spine, a common referral involves either shooting or burning pain that radiates across the shoulders and the shoulders blades, possibly even as far down as the lower back.
What does facet joint pain feel like?
Acute facet joint pain causes a very sharp sensation. Movement often aggravates the pain. For example, if your right facet joint is damaged, bending to the right will cause significant pain. It may even feel like an electric shock.
Our body actively recruits different muscles and joints when others are restricted or damaged. This compensation often causes pain on the side opposite the locked facet joint. In the lower spine, it can lead to-or contribute to-conditions such as sacroiliac joint pain or sciatica. Most commonly you will notice decreased movement and pain or difficulty in stretching muscles and tendons in certain directions.
How does your osteopath diagnose and treat facet joint pain?
The most accurate diagnosis of an irritated or restricted facet joint is by physical examination. Osteopaths train to examine the spine and develop a remarkable sense of touch. By listening to your explanation of how the symptoms began and observing your movements, they can determine whether your facet joints are restricted or irritated.
Once the osteopath identifies facet joint irritation, they may gently use their hands to mobilize and open the joint. If appropriate, they may also perform a joint manipulation to free it. After this technique, the joint can restore its proper function.
What Causes Facet Joint Pain?
Physical trauma.
Bad Posture.
Inflammatory conditions of the spine.
Osteoarthritis
How is facet joint pain treated on the NHS?
Your doctor may request that you have facet joint injections. The injection is a combination of local anaesthetic (a numbing agent) and a steroid (an anti-inflammatory agent). The local anaesthetic works immediately and the steroid begins to work within 2 – 3 days.
What treatments are available at Back To Health Wellness?
Our approach is more holistic than medical. We offer Chiropractic, Osteopathy and Massage services to help with facet joint pain. Other alternative treatment includes low level laser therapy. Treatment starts with a proper diagnosis. Doctors can sometimes mistake it for a herniated or slipped disc, so they must carefully examine the patient beforehand.
At Back to Health Wellness Clinic in Guildford, we make it our priority to relieve your pain and help you get back to your normal life. In order to meet our clients specific and individual needs, we provide a wide range of services, including treatment for other common neck and back pain conditions such as slipped discs, sacroiliac joint pain, cervical and lumbar spondylosis and more.
Get in touch by phone or by email to see how we can help you.