This website is for informational use only and does not provide any medical advice
en English
af Afrikaanssq Albanianam Amharicar Arabichy Armenianaz Azerbaijanieu Basquebe Belarusianbn Bengalibs Bosnianbg Bulgarianca Catalanceb Cebuanony Chichewazh-CN Chinese (Simplified)zh-TW Chinese (Traditional)co Corsicanhr Croatiancs Czechda Danishnl Dutchen Englisheo Esperantoet Estoniantl Filipinofi Finnishfr Frenchfy Frisiangl Galicianka Georgiande Germanel Greekgu Gujaratiht Haitian Creoleha Hausahaw Hawaiianiw Hebrewhi Hindihmn Hmonghu Hungarianis Icelandicig Igboid Indonesianga Irishit Italianja Japanesejw Javanesekn Kannadakk Kazakhkm Khmerko Koreanku Kurdish (Kurmanji)ky Kyrgyzlo Laola Latinlv Latvianlt Lithuanianlb Luxembourgishmk Macedonianmg Malagasyms Malayml Malayalammt Maltesemi Maorimr Marathimn Mongolianmy Myanmar (Burmese)ne Nepalino Norwegianps Pashtofa Persianpl Polishpt Portuguesepa Punjabiro Romanianru Russiansm Samoangd Scottish Gaelicsr Serbianst Sesothosn Shonasd Sindhisi Sinhalask Slovaksl Slovenianso Somalies Spanishsu Sudanesesw Swahilisv Swedishtg Tajikta Tamilte Teluguth Thaitr Turkishuk Ukrainianur Urduuz Uzbekvi Vietnamesecy Welshxh Xhosayi Yiddishyo Yorubazu Zulu
  • Holmdel Adult Care
  • Holmdel Beauty Care
  • Holmdel Cardio Care
  • Holmdel GastroCare
  • Holmdel Food Care
  • Holmdel Neuro Care
  • Holmdel Nutrition Care
  • Holmdel Pharmacy Care
  • Holmdel Physical Therapy Care
  • Holmdel Primary Care
  • Holmdel Senior Care
  • Holmdel Spinal Care
  • Adult Care
  • Beauty Care
  • Cardio Care
  • Gastro Care
  • Food Care
  • Neuro Care
  • Nutrition Care
  • Pharmacy Care
  • Physical Therapy Care
  • Primary Care
  • Senior Care
  • Spinal Care

The facet joints are the connections between the bones of the spine. The nerve roots pass through these joints to go from the spinal cord to the arms, legs and other parts of the body.

These joints also allow the spine to bend and twist, and they keep the back from slipping too far forward or twisting without limits. Like the knee joint, they have cartilage to allow smooth movement where two bones meet. The joints are lined with the synovium and have lubricating joint fluid.

When these joints get swollen because of injury or arthritis, it causes pain. If the affected joint is in the neck, it may cause headaches and difficulty moving the head. If it is in the back, it may cause pain in the lower back, buttocks or thighs.

Symptoms

People with this condition usually complain that they have to turn their whole body to look to the left or right. The pain and stiffness associated with this condition can make it difficult to stand up straight or get out of a chair. The person may walk hunched over. The specific symptoms depend on where the affected joint is located and what nerve roots it affects.

If the facet joint becomes too swollen and enlarged, it may block the openings through which the nerve roots pass, causing a pinched nerve. This condition is called facet hypertrophy.

Diagnosis

A diagnosis of facet joint syndrome is confirmed by injecting an anesthetic and an anti-inflammatory in the joint. If there is immediate relief of pain after the injection, the condition is facet joint syndrome.

Treatment

Injection of steroids into the facet joints can help relieve pain for a long period of time. Other conservative approaches include anti-inflammatory drugs, and physical therapy.

For long-term relief and in more severe cases, a rhizotomy (burning the anterior or posterior spinal nerve roots) may be done. Surgical interventions could be effective in relieving pain if conservative care fails.

Source: https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/f/facet-joint-syndrome.html