The Best Facet Joint Pain Management

Everyone requires comfort to operate and be productive fully. Facet joint pain, affecting your back vertebrae small joints results in pain and inflammation. If you are experiencing Eugene facet joint syndrome, it is time you get the right treatment plan.

Facet Joint Syndrome

Facet joint syndrome commonly causes lower back pain as it affects your spine and the thoracic and cervical spine. Facet joints are part of your vertebrae that enables your spine to twist and bend. When something strains your joints and triggers pain and inflammation, this is when facet joint syndrome develops.

Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome

This is facet joint syndrome on your lower back, which causes you a lot of pain that may end up spreading down your thighs and buttocks. This causes stiffness affecting your ability to stand from a sitting position, stand up straight, and it may also give you a hatched posture while walking.

Thoracic Facet Joint Syndrome

This affects your upper back and can restrict the movement of the spinal cord. This makes you unable to twist above the waist, making it hard to turn left or right.

Cervical Facet Joint Syndrome

This affects your neck, and it causes headaches, shoulder pain, as well as neck pain. This renders it difficult to move your head around.

How to Treat Facet Joint Syndrome

To achieve an accurate diagnosis, you should see a physician knowledgeable in spinal disorder, for example, an orthopedic surgeon, a pain management specialist, or a physiatrist. Firstly, your medical history is reviewed under neurological and physical exams. The physical exam includes observing your movement and performance of certain maneuvers to recreate your pain. In contrast, a neurological exam entails evaluating your nervous system, and it involves testing your reflexes and responses.

To confirm facet joint syndrome, an injection or a diagnostic block is necessary. There are different diagnostic injections, including:

• Image-guided medial branch blocks.
• Intraarticular injection of local anesthetic.

These diagnostic injections work by sending local anesthetic or anti-inflammatory medication to where there is suspected joint pain.

After the injection, if there is pain reduction and immediately restored mobility, this means that the doctor has located your pain source and thus can proceed with a targeted treatment plan. Furthermore, this syndrome can be prevented by engagement in back stretching and exercise aiming at strengthening your core.

Depending on the weather, the non-surgical combination treatment works for you, and your doctor can move to non-surgical and minimally invasive therapies. Examples of these therapies include:

• Intraarticular steroid injection.
• Radiofrequency ablation.
• Medial branch blocks.

Your doctor decides the injection types best suited for you. If your pain is relieved by the blocks, it shows positive signs that nerve therapy will work on you with long-lasting benefits. Also, most facet joint pain is managed by non-surgical treatments.

Talk to a Facet Joint Pain Specialist Today

Manage your facet joint pain and start living a comfortable life free from pain. Contact the pacific sport and pain team to schedule a consultation.