Facet Joint Syndrome
Facet joint syndrome is a common cause of neck and back pain that develops when the small joints connecting the vertebrae become irritated, inflamed or arthritic. These joints help stabilize the spine and guide movement, so problems within them can make everyday motions painful and uncomfortable.
What Are Facet Joints?
Facet joints are small paired joints located along the back of the spine. They connect one vertebra to another and allow the spine to bend, twist and move while also helping prevent excessive motion. Like other joints in the body, they contain cartilage and can become painful when irritated or worn.
Why Facet Joints Become Painful
Repetitive stress, arthritis, disc degeneration or injury can place additional strain on the facet joints. As the joint cartilage wears down, inflammation and abnormal movement can cause localized neck or back pain and referred discomfort in nearby areas.
How Facet Joint Pain May Feel
Symptoms often depend on whether the affected joints are in the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine.
Common Symptoms May Include:
Why Does Facet Joint Syndrome Develop?
Facet joint pain is often related to age-related changes, but injury and altered spinal mechanics may also contribute.
Facet Arthritis
Cartilage within the joint can wear down over time, causing inflammation, stiffness and pain similar to arthritis in other joints.
Disc Degeneration
When spinal discs lose height, the facet joints may carry more load than normal, increasing stress and contributing to joint irritation.
Injury or Trauma
Whiplash, falls, sports injuries and other trauma may irritate the facet joints or alter normal spinal movement.
Repetitive Stress
Repeated twisting, extension, heavy physical activity or poor spinal mechanics can place ongoing stress on the facet joints.
How Facet Joint Syndrome Is Diagnosed
Because many spinal conditions can cause similar symptoms, diagnosis often combines a physical examination with imaging and targeted diagnostic procedures.
Your provider will review where the pain occurs, what movements aggravate it and whether there is a history of injury or arthritis.
Spinal movement, tenderness and pain reproduced by extension or rotation may provide clues about facet involvement.
X-rays, MRI or CT imaging may identify arthritis, degeneration and other structural changes in the spine.
A targeted anesthetic injection may help determine whether a specific facet joint is contributing to the patient's pain.
Treating Facet Joint Pain
Treatment depends on the location and severity of symptoms and may include conservative therapies as well as targeted interventional pain procedures.
Physical Therapy
Exercise and rehabilitation may improve spinal mobility, strengthen supporting muscles and reduce stress placed on painful joints.
Medication
Anti-inflammatory and other pain medications may be recommended when appropriate to help control discomfort and inflammation.
Facet Joint Injections
A local anesthetic and corticosteroid may be injected into or around an affected facet joint to reduce inflammation and pain.
Radiofrequency Ablation
If diagnostic medial branch blocks confirm facet-mediated pain, radiofrequency ablation may be used to reduce pain signals from the small nerves supplying the affected joint.
Facet Joint Pain Can Often Be Diagnosed and Treated Directly.
One of the challenges with back and neck pain is determining exactly which structure is responsible. Diagnostic medial branch blocks can help identify whether one or more facet joints are contributing to the pain. When a facet joint is confirmed as the source, targeted treatment may provide meaningful relief and help improve everyday function.
Living With Persistent Neck or Back Pain?
Schedule an evaluation to determine whether irritated facet joints may be contributing to your symptoms.