Symptoms of Lumbar Facet Joint Pain

Back pain affects nearly 30 percent of the population at any given time. The cause of this pain is often unexplained and comes gradually over time. Without a trauma, the diagnosis of back pain is often hard to pinpoint, which makes treatment very difficult and time-consuming. One aspect of the spine that is crucial to diagnosis and treatment of back pain is the facet joint.

Function

• The spine plays a pivotal role in the overall health of an individual, and when the spine begins to break down, it not only affects the local area but areas surrounding the spine and throughout the body. Spinal stability plays a significant role in whole-body stability and equilibrium. A major consideration of this stability is the role the nervous plays with the spine and its stability. It was at one time thought that spinal bones were not innervated by nerves, but it now widely accepted that all areas---including the fascia, muscles, synovial joints, ligaments, vertebrae and intervertebral discs---are innervated extensively. A major player in spinal biomechanics are the facet joints, which are where one vertebrae articulates with another. These joints keep the spine stabilized and provide continuous feedback to the brain as to how the spine is positioned at all times.

Effects

• Any misalignment of the facet joints sends increased signals to the spinal cord, bombarding it with pain signals. These pain signals, if they persist over a period of time, develop into chronic pain problems. The misalignment of these facet joints along with associated inflammation can put pressure on the nerve roots that exit the spine, which causes muscle spasms in the surrounding soft tissues of the spine.

Warning

• Back pain is something that most people take for granted and occasionally disregard, because of its frequency in the general population. It's important to remember, though, that just because something is common, that doesn't make it normal. Chronic back pain caused by the facet joints is a warning sign that something is wrong structurally in the body, putting more stress on these joints than there should be.

Treatment

• The most common form of treatment for lower-back pain is chiropractic care. Mobilization of the facet joints often reduces the pain signals to the spinal cord, resulting in reduced pain and increased range of motion in the lumbar spine. For acute situations, NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) may be prescribed to decrease pain and inflammation temporarily. Although muscles spasms rarely causes misalignment of facet joints causing pain, massage is a practice regularly used to address this.

Prevention/Solution

• Preventative care is often the best line of defense against lower-back issues, as episodes that happen once tend to recur closer together with more severity. Several exercises that strengthen the core and lower back are often prescribed to reduce these chances. The core exercises that protect the spine the most are abdominal planks and bracing. The lower-back-strengthening exercises that offer the most benefit are the "Superman" and "bird dog."