Facet Syndrome is a painful condition caused by inflammation or injury of the “facet joints.”
Think of these facet joints as a pair of hinges on the right and left side between each of the vertebrae in your spine. All areas of the spine have facet joints.
In technical terms, facet joints are called “synovial joints.” There are 3 pieces to each Facet Joint, and any or all of them can be the source of the agonizing pain of Facet Syndrome.
- Synovium — the lining of the facet joint
- Joint capsule — the wrapper of the facet joint
- Articular cartilage — this type of cartilage is on the connecting surfaces of the bones
Inflammation or injury to these areas causes back pain near the injury–for example at L2 or L3 in the low back. But–injury to the facet joints also can cause radiating pain that travels down the back and into buttocks and legs.
Even worse than the severe pain…..
Facet Syndrome often leads to an unstable spine, making additional injury and inflammation more likely.
What Causes Facet Syndrome?
Some experts say Facet Syndrome is a type of arthritis brought on by age and trauma to the spine. As the cartilage deteriorates, the connecting surfaces can begin to rub together — bone on bone.
Facet Arthropathy occurs when the facets degenerate and bone spurs have developed.
Years of bad posture is another cause of Facet Syndrome.
Hours of sitting hunched at the computer puts incredible stress on the facet joints. Bad lifting posture, stooping over at the waist both cause the same kind of tension on the facet joints.
Over time, the pieces of the facet joints simply wear out and cause pain.
Next Steps…
If you’ve already been disappointed by
- Facet injections
- Physical Therapy
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Medications such as pain relievers and muscle relaxers
…then it’s time to do something different for Facet Syndrome pain!
The Back Pain Machine™ could give you quick relief from your Facet Syndrome Pain.
