In many people with facet joint syndrome, how does spinal decompression compare to traditional spinal surgery alleviate low back pain?
Introduction
Many people around the globe experience lower back pain for various reasons, such as lifting or carrying heavy objects, sedentary jobs, or traumatic events that can cause spinal injuries. The spine has a crucial role in providing mobility and flexibility without discomfort. The facet joints and spinal discs work together to generate healthy movement and stability within each segment. However, when the muscles, ligaments, and tissues surrounding the spinal disc are overstretched or compressed due to normal or traumatic factors, it can aggravate the nerve roots and cause discomfort. As we age or carry excess weight, our spinal discs can experience wear and tear, leading to facet joint syndrome. This syndrome is often associated with lower back pain caused by injured facet joints. This article will explore how facet joint syndrome is linked to lower back pain and how non-surgical treatments can help alleviate it. We work with certified medical providers who use our patients’ valuable information to treat individuals suffering from facet joint syndrome affecting spine mobility and causes low back pain. We also inform them about non-surgical treatments to regain spinal mobility and reduce pain-like symptoms that correlate with this spinal condition. We encourage patients to ask essential questions and seek education from our associated medical providers about their situation. Dr. Jimenez, D.C., provides this information as an educational service. Disclaimer
Facet Joint Syndrome
Are you experiencing pain that radiates down to your legs, especially when standing? Do you constantly hunch over, affecting your posture during everyday activities? Have you noticed numbness or loss of sensation in your feet or buttocks? As we age or experience traumatic injuries, the facet joints on either side of our spine can become damaged, resulting in a condition called facet joint syndrome. Research indicates that environmental conditions can cause joint degeneration, leading to symptoms similar to other spinal conditions. Cartilage erosion and inflammation on the spine are common signs of facet joint syndrome, often associated with musculoskeletal disorders like low back pain.
Low Back Pain Associated With Facet Syndrome
Research studiesmusculoskeletal disorders like low back pain are associated with facet syndrome. When the facet joints start to degenerate from repetitive overuse motions caused by everyday activities, it can cause micro instabilities to the facet joints while compressing the surrounding nerve roots. When this happens, many individuals will experience low back pain and sciatic nerve pain conditions that cause them to be unstable while walking. Additional research studies stated that low back pain associated with facet syndrome can cause symptoms of restricted movement, reduce the quality of life and greatly impact the entire lumbar vertebral structure. Since low back pain is a common problem many individuals have, the combination with facet syndrome can trigger reactive muscle spasms, a protective mechanism in the spine to cause the individual to have difficulty moving comfortably and experience severe sudden pain. To that point, low back pain associated with facet syndrome causes the person to be dealing with constant ongoing pain, making a normal lifestyle almost difficult.
Discover The Benefits Of Chiropractic Care-Video
Low back pain associated with facet joint syndrome should not make life difficult. Numerous treatments pertain to relieving the pain-like symptoms and help slow the process of facet syndrome from causing more issues to the spine. Non-surgical treatments like chiropractic care can help reduce the effects of facet syndrome as they can provide benefits to restore spinal mobility. The video above explores the benefits of chiropractic care, as chiropractors will discuss the recommended course of personalized treatment with you. Non-surgical treatments are safe, gentle on the spine, and cost-effective as they help regain your body’s mobility from facet syndrome. At the same time, non-surgical treatments like chiropractic care can be combined with other non-surgical therapies that can help restart the body’s natural healing process to allow the compressed spinal disc and joint to be rehydrated.
Spinal Decompression Alleviating Facet Syndrome
According to research studies, non-surgical treatments like spinal decompression can help reduce the effects of facet syndrome as it can help improve the spine;’s mobility through gentle traction and can help stretch out the affected muscles associated with low back pain by taking pressure off the aggravating nerve root. In “The Ultimate Spinal Decompression,” Dr. Eric Kaplan, D.C., FIAMA, and Dr. Perry Bard, D.C., mentioned that when individuals are going in for spinal decompression, they might experience a “popping sensation” as the jammed facet joints are being open for treatment. This is normal for early facet arthropathy and can occur within the first few treatment sessions. At the same time, spinal decompression can gently stretch the adjacent compressed nerve root and find instant relief. After the treatment, many individuals can combine other treatments like physical therapy to reduce the painful symptoms from returning. Non-surgical treatments like spinal decompression and chiropractic care can help revitalize the spine affected by facet joint syndrome and help restore a person’s quality of life.
The spine’s primary function is to make sure that the body is moving, twisting, turning, and bending at any angle without any pain. When the spine gets injured in an accident or a back muscle is pulled, it can cause the spinal discs in the spine to become herniated or develop degenerative disorders like DDD (degenerative disc disease) that can cause a person to be in pain. Other back pain issues that can cause a person to be in pain include sciatica, chronic back pain, leg pain, and the inability to move or stand for long periods. When many individuals suffer from back pain, it can cause them to lose their quality of life and make them feel miserable. Luckily there are ways to treat back pain, and that is through non-surgical decompression therapy. In this article, we will be looking at facet syndrome and its symptoms and how decompression can alleviate pain associated facet syndrome. By referring patients to qualified and skilled providers specializing in spinal decompression therapy. To that end, and when appropriate, we advise our patients to refer to our associated medical providers based on their examination. We find that education is the key to asking valuable questions to our providers. Dr. Alex Jimenez DC provides this information as an educational service only. Disclaimer
Can my insurance cover it? Yes, it may. If you are uncertain, here is the link to all the insurance providers we cover. If you have any questions, please call Dr. Jimenez at 915-850-0900.
What Is Facet Syndrome?
As previous articles mentioned, many individuals have back pain is common worldwide and is one of the most expensive conditions to be treated for. This is due to many individuals straining their back by lifting heavy objects, or their spinal disc is deteriorating due to aging naturally. When the spinal disc starts to lose its function naturally, the outer barrier of the spinal disc begins to become hard. It becomes compressed, losing its soft sponge-like texture, causing the inner walls of the spinal disc to push through the compressed outer layers and become herniated. Facet syndrome is another back pain issue that many individuals tend to suffer due to natural aging. Research studies have stated that facet syndrome is a condition where the spine’s joints start to degenerate and become a source of pain. Facet syndrome can be caused when the joints from the spine begin to get inflamed and degenerate, causing many other back pain disorders to rise like spondylosis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis all over the body.
Other research studies have shown that facet syndrome is the source of chronic spinal pain that can be unilateral or bilateral back pain radiating from one or both buttocks, the sides of the groin, and the thighs, and just stopping at the knees. Facet syndrome can also mimic any excruciating pain that is caused by herniated discs or compressed nerve roots on the spine.
Facet Syndrome Symptoms
Since facet syndrome is the most common cause of low back pain, research studies have shown that local aches often characterize facet syndrome to some degree of stiffness on the spinal joints. The pain from facet syndrome usually ranges from a dull ache to sharp shooting pain that causes the person to be unable to function. Some of the signs and symptoms caused by facet syndrome are similar to other back pains. They occur together and cause overlap, making the diagnosis challenging for health practitioners. The signs and symptoms of facet syndrome usually depend on the severity and involvement of a nearby nerve root which can cause:
Decompression Therapy Effectiveness For Facet Syndrome-Video
The video above shows how the DRX9000 decompression machine treats facet syndrome. Research studies have shown that facet syndrome is caused by degeneration of the spinal joints due to repetitive overuse and everyday activities that cause microinstability and compress the surrounding nerve roots. When this happens, it can cause excruciating back pain to the individual. With the DRX9000 decompression machine, many individuals will begin to feel relief from facet syndrome. As part of spinal decompression therapy, the DRX9000 decompression machine gently stretches the spine to release the compressed spinal discs and allow the beneficial nutrients and oxygen back into the spine. Many individuals with low back pain begin to feel relief by utilizing decompression therapy as part of their wellness journey. If you want to learn more about spinal decompression therapy, this link will explain the benefits of spinal decompression and how it can alleviate low back pain symptoms.
Decompression Therapy For Facet Syndrome
Decompression therapy is utilized for individuals suffering from low back pain and facet syndrome. As research studies have shown, the effectiveness of decompression therapy can help individuals with facet syndrome by improving their mobility and activities of daily living and reducing their pain after treatment. Decompression therapy can also help individuals reposition the herniated discs back into the spine and can cause the spinal joints to increase in height. Other research studies have shown that since facet syndrome is the cause of low back pain, radiculopathy, and neurological deficits due to being close to the adjacent nerve root, decompression therapy can gently stretch the compressed nerve root and cause instant relief to the individual. When individuals combine decompression therapy with physical therapy, it will reduce the chances of painful symptoms coming back.
Conclusion
Therefore, facet syndrome is one of the common causes of low back pain that causes degeneration of the spinal joints. Facet syndrome is also one of the sources of pain and can mimic other painful back symptoms that can overlap, affect the nearest nerve root, and be hard to diagnose. All is not lost as decompression therapy is used as a non-surgical option to relieve back pain issues by gently stretching the spinal disc, joints, and ligaments to relieve the pressure it was under. Decompression therapy has helped reduce many chronic back issues that many individuals have suffered by allowing the nutrients to go back to the spine. With the combination of physical therapy, many individuals who utilize decompression therapy as part of their wellness journey will become pain-free over time.
References
Alexander, Christopher E, et al. “Lumbosacral Facet Syndrome – Statpearls – NCBI Bookshelf.” StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL), StatPearls Publishing, 12 Feb. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441906/.
Gose, E E, et al. “Vertebral Axial Decompression Therapy for Pain Associated with Herniated or Degenerated Discs or Facet Syndrome: An Outcome Study.” Neurological Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 1998, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9583577/.
Perolat, Romain, et al. “Facet Joint Syndrome: From Diagnosis to Interventional Management.” Insights into Imaging, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Oct. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6206372/.
Sagoo, Navraj S, et al. “Lumbar Facet Joint Cyst Treated with Decompression and Interlaminar Stabilization.” Cureus, Cureus, 25 July 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7445097/.
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