Lumbar Facet Irritation- How can we help at Blackberry Clinic?
At Blackberry Clinic we treat back, neck and joint pain as well as sports injuries and arthritis. We take pride in offering accurate diagnosis so that bespoke treatment programmes lead to the best possible outcomes. There are many structures in the spine and all of these can cause problems from time to time. Here is some information about facet joints which can become irritated and cause pain.
The spine consists of 33 vertebrae of which 24 are moveable. Facet joints are responsible for articulating movement and providing integrity between individual vertebrae in the spine. Our osteopath, India Cooke, explains the anatomy and science behind this painful condition.
A cervical facet joint, found in the neck
These facet joints can become irritated due to swelling from surrounding structures and cause pain due to irritation of nerve roots. The facet joints can also be susceptible to capsular tears due to trauma. Often with facet joint irritation muscles around the joint will become contracted or tight to protect the area which can increase pain levels in the area.
The most common cause of facet irritation is a repetitive extension of the back. This means movements with arms above the head are more likely to aggravate the facet joints. However, factors that make it more likely are; osteoarthritis, trauma from injuries, and, secondary to inflammation, conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and spondylolisthesis.
Signs and symptoms:
· Pain in the lower back local to the level affected
· Pain on pressure either side of the spine
· Pain on leaning backward or extension of the back
· Local stiffness
· Pain on sudden movements
· Referred pain into the thigh, hip and flank
After diagnosis, different forms of treatment and management can be used.
Conservative management:
· Anti-inflammatories
· Physical therapy such as osteopathy, physiotherapy and chiropractic. Which aims to improve the spine’s mobility and functioning. Also helps to educate patients about their condition.
· Massage therapy
After conservative measures have been attempted, there is also the possibility for interventional procedures like anti-inflammatory steroid injections into the joint to reduce swelling and pain, nerve root blocks, radiofrequency denervation and prolotherapy. We offer these procedures with our MSK Medicine and Pain Medicine doctors at a number of our clinics including Milton Keynes, Croydon, Oxford, Guildford, Fareham, London and Birmingham.
