Facet pain syndrome. Facet joint syndrome. Reasons for the development of pathology

Facet syndrome is one of the common manifestations of arthrosis of the intervertebral joints. Moreover, according to statistics, up to 40% of all people experiencing chronic lower back pain suffer from this. Such pain manifests itself in the form of lumboischialgia.

Etiology and pathogenesis

The basis of facet syndrome is spondyloarthrosis or deforming spondyloarthrosis. In this case, the first case is one of the forms of osteoarthritis, which can manifest itself in a variety of clinical pictures. The main pathology is aimed at the destruction of all components of the joint, starting from cartilage and ligaments, and ending with the capsule and muscles.

Many experts believe that the terms facet syndrome and spondyloarthrosis are synonyms and the same disease is always diagnosed under them. But some believe that spondyloarthrosis is a more general term that refers to the destruction of all joint tissues, and in the case of facet syndrome, the pathology lies only in the destruction of the facet. This means that in this case more specific symptoms are implied.

The fact that degenerative diseases lead to pain was known at the very beginning of the last century, but in most cases this symptom was disputed, since many doctors believe that a person experiences pain for other reasons. In addition, degenerative diseases of the spinal column have not been studied enough.

Causes

The causes of facet syndrome can be many types of pathologies. For example, most often this disease manifests itself when:

1. Tuberculosis.
2. Microtraumas of the spine area.
3. Nutritional disorders of the tissues of the vertebral joints.

Some studies suggest that symptoms of facet syndrome may begin to appear at a young age. The main reason is injuries, both severe and almost invisible.

Symptoms

The main symptom of this disease is pain. They can vary in intensity. Moreover, several such relapses can occur per year, each of which literally unsettles a person.

The second important sign is the presence of inflammation in the area of ​​pain. This can be detected during diagnostics, for example, x-rays, as well as CT or MRI studies. Inflammation can be localized in the area of ​​one vertebra, or it can affect several. At the same time, the muscles become weak and lose their elasticity, and it becomes almost impossible for a person to sit or stand.

Other symptoms that help diagnose this disease include:

1. Smoothing lordosis in the lumbar region.
2. Muscle tension on the affected side.
3. Pain upon palpation of a certain point where inflammation is concentrated.
4. Sensation of crunching in the vertebrae when moving.

But there are also signs that are not at all characteristic of this condition. For example, this may be the absence of motor, neurological, and reflex disorders. This also includes the absence of symptoms of nerve root tension.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of facet pain syndrome is based both on the patient’s complaints and on the use of various modern methods. For example, radiography is used in two projections, which allows you to understand what exactly the pain is associated with. In this case, it is recommended to use diagnostic blockades with a contrast agent.

However, in more severe cases, when diagnosis is difficult, computed tomography is used, which allows a better examination of the pathology area.

As for MRI, such a study in this case is not entirely effective, but it is irreplaceable if there is a suspicion of a disc herniation or spinal disc injuries.

Conservative therapy

Today, there are many ways to treat facet pain syndrome. And they always start with conservative methods. Among them, the most popular and most effective are:

1. The use of exercise therapy, which allows you to strengthen muscles and correct posture.
2. Physiotherapy to help relieve inflammation.
3. Reducing physical activity, avoiding long walks, and taking frequent breaks during sedentary work.
4. Use of manual treatment.

As for drug therapy, preference should be given to drugs from the NSAID group, which include ortofen, diclofenac, nurofen and many others. However, using the medicine in the form of ointments or gels is useless in this case. It is best to use tablet or injection forms.

Operative therapy

After using all conservative methods, in the case where none of them has brought the desired result, you can use a surgical intervention called facetoplasty, which involves injecting an additional amount of synovial fluid into the affected joint.

Most people explain any acute and chronic pain in the back, although they don’t even know anything about this disease. In fact, this concept is quite broad and combines a whole group of degenerative diseases of the spine. In this case, the localization of pathological changes can be in one or several joints that connect the vertebrae.

The most common lesion is the facet joints of the spine; X-ray examination reveals it in 52% of young and 88% of elderly patients. These joints are located in the posterior segment of the spinal column, connecting the above and underlying vertebrae. Although they do not bear a significant burden, degenerative changes begin primarily in them.

Depending on the severity and severity of symptoms, the disease (facet syndrome) is divided into acute and chronic forms. Also, only two localizations of the pathology are possible - in the cervical or lumbar region. Despite the division of forms, the principles of treatment in each case are approximately the same. The only difference is the duration of therapy, as well as the methods of administering the drugs.

Anatomy

Facet joints are a peculiar and “unofficial” name for the facet joints that connect the vertebrae in the posterior segment. Although they have a fairly simple structure, it is the mechanism of their operation that attracts attention. Therefore, we should consider them more from the point of view of functional anatomy:

1. The basis for the joint is the paired articular processes of neighboring vertebrae, which have small areas covered with cartilage at the apex.
2. The articular capsule is small in size, attached exactly along the edge of the articular surfaces. The shape of the articular cavity depends on the department - in the neck and chest it has a transverse position, and in the lumbar vertebrae it has an oblique position.


3. The joint is strengthened by nearby tendons and muscles - the posterior longitudinal ligament, as well as small muscles that hold the transverse processes.
4. The shape of the facet joints, depending on the part of the spine, also changes. In the cervical and thoracic segments they are considered flat, while the lumbar vertebrae are connected by a cylindrical type of joint.
5. During flexion or extension of the spine, the facet joints perform only sliding movements relative to each other. Therefore, they belong to the group of sedentary compounds.
6. According to biomechanics, the joints are considered combined, like other joints of the spine. This means that movements simultaneously occur not only in the symmetrical joints of one vertebra, but also in neighboring segments.

It is the particular shape and mobility of the facet joints that make them the weakest link in the supporting complex of the spinal column.

Pathology

To make it easier to understand why a facet joint is needed for the spine, we should touch upon the concept of the support complex. Its isolation is associated with the heterogeneous structure of the vertebra - the load is not distributed over its entire area, but falls only on certain points:

• There are three such sections - the front, middle and rear support pillars.


• The anterior complex experiences the maximum pressure - it includes the main part of the vertebral body.
• But during movements, the load is transferred almost evenly to the back part, which includes the longitudinal ligament and facet joints.
• Since the articular surfaces of these joints and the intervertebral disc are not comparable in size, the main pressure is felt by the soft tissues - the capsule and ligaments.
• Accordingly, with a sudden overload, their damage may occur, which will clinically manifest itself as acute facet syndrome.
• Regular exposure causes chronic damage, which in terms of its manifestations is practically no different from osteochondrosis of the cervical or lumbar region.

The leading symptom of the disease in each case is pain, which leads to moderate or significant limitation of mobility and stiffness in the neck or lower back.

Acute

This variant of the disease is based on inflammation of the facet joint. Its occurrence is associated with trauma, leading to acute damage to the joint membranes. In this case, the following mechanisms occur in the joint:

• Sudden damage rarely occurs in people who have a completely healthy spine. Therefore, its development still requires some degenerative changes affecting soft tissues.
• Regular excessive loads and lack of training lead to a significant weakening of the muscular and ligamentous apparatus in the area of ​​the facet joints.
• Excessive mobility appears in the joints due to stretching of its membranes.
• With a sudden and atypical load, a sharp displacement of the articular surfaces can occur, which will cause local damage to the ligaments.
• Then the reaction of the nervous system will immediately follow - there will be a response spasm of the muscles trying to stabilize the vertebrae. At this moment, the first sign of pathology will appear - pain.
• After some time, inflammation will develop in the area of ​​damage - a protective mechanism aimed at restoring defects in the soft tissues. Involvement of the joint in this process is accompanied by the appearance of symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Timely and correct assistance for acute facet syndrome is the main prevention of adverse consequences.

Chronic

The development of this form of the disease is fully consistent with most people’s idea of ​​osteochondrosis. Degenerative processes in the joints reach their clinical debut - and it is no longer the pain syndrome that comes to the fore:

• The chronic form can be a consequence of the acute course of the disease, or develop independently. Moreover, in the second case, the development of symptoms occurs so gradually that patients often do not pay attention to them for a long time.
• In the joints, under the influence of sluggish inflammation, a continuous process of destruction of articular cartilage is observed.
• Both of these processes are interrelated - each stimulates the conservation of the other.
• Therefore, in order to stop this vicious circle, the body decides to completely close the pathological focus - it triggers the mechanisms of arthrosis.
• Simultaneously with the replacement of damaged cartilage with bone tissue, there is a significant tightening of the surrounding ligaments and joint capsule. Therefore, symptoms of impaired mobility come first, and their consequence can be pain.

It is impossible to stop the course of arthrosis in the facet joints - all treatment methods are aimed only at slowing down this process as much as possible.

Symptoms

Taking into account the listed options, we can distinguish two most typical debuts of the disease. Their timely separation allows you to choose the optimal treatment method, allowing you to partially or completely eliminate the manifestations:

1. The first case is a relatively young patient (about 40 years old), leading a sedentary lifestyle. And, suddenly, his back had to undergo significant physical stress - such as gardening or lifting weights. In this case, an acute onset of the disease is usually observed, and the pain in 88% of cases is localized in the lumbar region.
2. The second case is an elderly person who already has signs (overt and hidden) of arthrosis of other joints. At the same time, he may be bothered to varying degrees by local stiffness and pain that occurs during movements in the spine. Since the process in this case is systemic and chronic, the disease equally affects the cervical and lumbar regions.

The symptoms of the disease almost always have common features with other spinal lesions, which makes its accurate and timely diagnosis difficult.

Cervical region

Manifestations of facet syndrome in this localization are usually chronic. It will differ from typical osteochondrosis in the absence of a characteristic radicular syndrome - pain along the nerve fibers. Although in the early stages they can be very similar:

• The pain syndrome is always strictly limited and is determined only in the projection of the affected joint.
• The unpleasant sensations are aching or stabbing in nature, and are located on the back of the neck directly above the spine or slightly to the side of it.
• The pain will actually be point-like, and the patient will even be able to point to this place with a finger rather than a palm (unlike osteochondrosis).
• Pressure on the spinous process closest to the location of the pain will lead to increased discomfort.
• There is a noticeable limitation in the mobility of the head to the sides, as well as in the anteroposterior direction. When trying to carry out a full movement, the patient feels an obstacle that prevents it from being completed completely.
• Associated symptoms - headaches, dizziness - are observed only in cases of combined development with osteochondrosis of other parts.

The acute occurrence of such manifestations is more typical for myositis - local inflammation of the small muscles surrounding the spine.

Lumbar

Although this localization of the disease is much more common, patients with both acute and chronic forms rarely seek medical help. They get used to living with the manifestations, only sometimes trying to eliminate them using folk methods:

• The pain syndrome rarely has significant intensity, having significant strength only with the acute onset of symptoms.
• Unpleasant sensations are also always localized in the area of ​​the affected joint, sometimes spreading a little lower. But facet syndrome is not characterized by pain radiating to the lower extremities.
• The pain syndrome is almost always monotonous and aching in nature, intensifying when attempting to move, as well as in an uncomfortable static position. Therefore, patients often report an important diagnostic finding that their pain increases with prolonged standing.
• Stiffness in both cases is functional in nature - that is, they cannot perform a sudden movement, but they manage to perform a slow bend or extension of the lower back.

It is important to carry out differential diagnosis with intervertebral hernia, which can also masquerade as this disease.

Treatment

The main direction of assistance in each variant of the disease is to suppress the inflammatory process in the joint tissues, which will eliminate all symptoms. Therefore, the first stage of treatment can take place according to the following options:

1. In most cases, symptoms can be eliminated after a course (Diclofenac, Ketoprofen). They are prescribed in a combined form - a short course of injections is given, after which the patient takes the pills for a few more days.
2. In rare cases, another combination is prescribed - treatment starts immediately with taking the medicine orally. Moreover, it is combined with the local use of anti-inflammatory drugs (gels and ointments).
3. In case of persistent pain, the issue of the need for a blockade is decided. A local anesthetic combined with a hormone (Hydrocortisone or) is injected into the area of ​​the affected joint using a long needle.

At the same time, stabilizing procedures are used - the patient must wear an adjustable corset for some time. It will remove some of the load from the affected joint, giving it the opportunity for a full recovery.

Rehabilitation

After suppressing the pathological mechanisms of inflammation, prevention of their re-development begins. To achieve this, a variety of physical therapy methods are used to partially or completely restore mobility to the facet joints:

• First, more gentle procedures are used that do not have a pronounced reflex effect. Therefore, patients are prescribed electrophoresis or phonophoresis with novocaine and calcium, laser or magnet.
• In parallel with them, therapeutic exercises begin, in which the principle of stepwise increase in loads must be observed.
• Gradually you can move on to techniques that are characterized by a stimulating effect on the back muscles. For this purpose, inductothermy, electromyostimulation are used on the paravertebral area with paraffin and ozokerite.
• The last thing to be introduced into the rehabilitation program is massage, since its early use contributes to the occurrence of reflex pain. Therefore, its various variations are indicated only after sufficient preparation of the back muscles.

Wearing a soft bandage or collar after recovery is recommended but not required. But to prevent relapses, you should still wear them at least before the upcoming atypical physical activity.

1941 0

Facet joint syndrome is a disorder characterized by pathological changes in the tissues of the intervertebral (facet) joints. This syndrome accompanies arthrosis and during the disease process, damage occurs not only to the intervertebral discs, but also to the vertebrae and other nearby tissues.

This disease affects 85-90 people out of a hundred who have reached old age. However, the syndrome can begin to develop much earlier, at 30-35 years of age, if a person suffers from congenital pathologies of the spine.

Pathogenesis and mechanism of development

The disease affects all components of the joints of the spine (cartilage, ligaments, muscles) and this leads to pain. What happens to the spine affected by this disorder?

If we talk about the functions of the spine, it should be noted that the purpose of the vertebrae, discs and anterior ligaments is to resist gravity. And the role of protection against displacement is assigned to the intervertebral joints, plates, as well as the transverse and spinous processes. The distribution of gravity is as follows: about 80% falls on the anterior parts of the spine, and up to 20% on the joints.

When intervertebral discs are affected by facet syndrome, the distance between the vertebrae changes downwards and, as a result, the load increases. The appearance of microtraumas and degenerative changes in the joints follows.

At the same time, the mobility of the spine is limited, and pain appears.

Why does facet syndrome occur?

Facet syndrome is not an independent disease, but most often occurs as a consequence of various disorders in bone, joint and cartilage tissues, or after. The causes of the syndrome may be:

• Availability diseases associated with metabolic disorders(for example, when and);
• chronic inflammation due to arthritis(at and);
• dystrophic changes in joints and tissue nutritional disorders (for example, with);
• Availability and other systemic infectious diseases;
• , microfractures, ruptures of capsules and cartilage in joints.

As a rule, the disorder develops slowly, but with some types of injuries, most often sports, the syndrome can develop much faster.

Localization by spinal region

Due to the anatomical features of the structure of the spine, facet syndrome can be localized in the following areas:

• cervical region - 55%;
• region lumbar region - 30%;
• Pain syndrome occurs less frequently in the shoulder and buttock area, pain can also radiate to the head and limbs.

Pain sensations with facet syndrome intensify during flexion of the limb, but during extension they are characterized by a decrease.

As a rule, the pain spreads to the elbows and popliteal fossae. Morning stiffness in the spine and limbs is often observed.

Clinical picture

The main symptoms of facet syndrome are:

Interestingly, it is impossible to predict what strength, frequency and duration of pain attacks will be. It can appear suddenly and also disappear suddenly.

Diagnostic methods

It is possible to diagnose facet syndrome both during examination by a specialist, based on the patient’s complaints, and using various diagnostic methods.

Most often, an x-ray examination is prescribed, which makes it possible to determine what causes the pain syndrome.

If X-ray examination does not provide a complete picture of the disease, computed tomography (CT) is used. This method is aimed at a detailed study of the affected area of ​​the spine.

Complex of therapeutic measures

The main goal of treatment for facet syndrome is to relieve the patient from pain attacks and normalize the processes and tissues of the spine. Both conservative and surgical treatment methods are used.

Conservative treatment

The basis of the conservative method is drug therapy and physiotherapeutic procedures. Taking medications can significantly reduce pain and improve the patient’s quality of life.

In the treatment of the syndrome, it is advisable to use the following drugs:

• Celebrex.

The drugs are prescribed in the form of tablets and injections; gels and ointments are ineffective in such cases. The listed medications can reduce acute and chronic pain, sometimes for quite a long period of time, and are also aimed at combating inflammatory processes in the spine.

Physiotherapeutic procedures are also intended to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.

For problems with the spine, physical therapy is effective. A specially selected set of exercises helps restore biomechanics, form correct posture, and strengthen muscles and ligaments.

It is also used, the purpose of which is to reduce pain and restore mobility in the affected parts of the spine.

In addition to the listed methods, it is recommended to wear cervical collars, use them and take frequent rest breaks, especially if the patient has to spend most of the time sitting. Most often, conservative treatment methods have a positive effect, but particularly severe cases require surgical intervention.

It is used as a surgical treatment for facet joint syndrome. It consists of eliminating pathological changes through electromagnetic effects on the affected joints.

In most cases, this procedure does not require general anesthesia and there is no need for any incisions in the skin. The operation lasts approximately half an hour, after which the patient is able to leave the hospital independently on the same day.

Like any disease, facet syndrome requires immediate and adequate treatment; when the first signs of discomfort in the cervical or lumbar spine appear, you should immediately seek help from specialists.

Self-medication or ignoring symptoms can lead to a number of unpleasant complications. Pathological processes will progress, which will entail various kinds of serious disturbances in the functioning of the musculoskeletal system, the consequences of which are unpredictable.

How to insure yourself to the maximum?

Approximately 80% of people of different ages experience manifestations of facet syndrome. For this reason, there is no need to talk about eliminating the possibility of its occurrence completely.

However, it is possible to significantly delay its onset and reduce the intensity of pathological processes. You can live for many years if you follow these recommendations:

• to live an active lifestyle;
• exercise daily;
• visit the pool;
• walk more;
• avoid spinal injuries.

It is important to remember that any disease is easier to prevent than to treat and do not neglect prevention.

Facet syndrome (chronic back pain)

Both very young people and older people can experience back pain. According to epidemiological studies, older people are more likely to experience episodes of severe back pain compared to middle-aged people. With age, there is a predominance of pain syndromes associated with degenerative damage to the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral segment (intervertebral discs and faceted joints).

Spondyloarthrosis

Spondyloarthrosis (facetsyndrome) is a particular form of osteoarthritis, which is a group of diseases, different in their manifestations, which are based on damage to all the constituent elements of the intervertebral joint - cartilage, bone tissue, ligaments, capsule and periarticular muscles.

The problem becomes extremely urgent given the high prevalence of back pain (or dorsalgia). Recently, more and more evidence has emerged for the association of chronic musculoskeletal pain with clinically significant pathology of the spinal articular apparatus.

Thus, in one of the largest prospective studies of patients with chronic pain in the lower half of the back without symptoms of nerve root damage, it was shown that 40% of patients had faceted painful syndrome. Untreated facet syndrome leads to a sharp limitation of spinal mobility and disability of the patient.

The development of facet syndrome is facilitated by a degenerative process in the intervertebral discs. Reducing the height and volume of discs increases the load on the intervertebral joints. As a result of these processes, normal movements of the spine no longer fit into the physiological range of motion of the joints and can lead to tension in the joint capsules beyond the physiological limit, causing pain.

When discs are damaged, the weight load gradually transfers to the intervertebral joints, reaching from 47 to 70%. Such overload of the joints leads to successive changes in them: an inflammatory process (synovitis) with the accumulation of synovial fluid between the facets; destruction of articular cartilage; stretching of the joint capsule and subluxation in them.

Continued degeneration, due to repeated microtrauma, weight and rotatory overloads, leads to the proliferation of connective tissue around the joints and formation of bone growths (osteophytes), increasing the size of the upper and lower facets, which become pear-shaped. Eventually the joints degenerate dramatically, losing almost all cartilage. Quite often, this process of degeneration occurs asymmetrically, which is manifested by uneven loads on the facet joints. Richly endowed with sensory receptors, the intervertebral joints are an important source of pain.

Localization and nature of pain. Pain with facet syndrome is often more severe on one side. It may be limited to the lumbosacral area over the affected joint, extending to the buttocks, groin, lower abdomen and sometimes the scrotum. But more often the pain radiates to the upper thigh.

Pain in the lumbar region, radiating to the leg, accounts for 25–57% of all pain localized in the lumbar region, a significant part of which is caused by damage to the joints. Facet pain is dull, monotonous, and never extends below the popliteal fossa. Patients describe it as spilled. But in some patients it can be paroxysmal. In severe facet syndrome, at the peak of pain, the characteristics of the pain syndrome can imitate discogenic pain (pseudoradicular syndrome), i.e. acquire a burning, shooting, boring character.

The dynamics of pain during the day are characteristic. Typically, short-term morning pain appears, decreasing after physical activity (walking), but usually increasing again after daytime activity at the end of the day.

Connection with movement. The onset of pain is usually associated with a sharp turn or extension of the spine. In the future, the pain increases with prolonged standing and decreases with walking and sitting. The pain intensifies when the spine is extended, especially if it is combined with bending or turning to the painful side, when changing the body position from lying to sitting and vice versa. The pain may be triggered or aggravated by going downhill or performing activities with objects placed above the head.

On the contrary, unloading the spine - bending it slightly, taking a sitting position, using support (stand, railing) - reduces pain. The pain disappears when the patient lies on a flat surface, with his legs slightly bent at the knee and hip joints. Thus, pain increases with extension and static loads, and decreases with flexion, warm-up, and unloading of the spine.

Since facet syndrome pain is associated with exercise, symptoms increase throughout the day. Joint pain is provoked by certain postures (prolonged sitting, standing) and disappears when changing position. Lumbago, on the contrary, occurs suddenly and is not relieved by changing posture.

During a painful episode and as the disease progresses, the mobility of the spine decreases. Some patients report a crunching sensation in the spine when moving.

The course of the pain syndrome. Pain with facet syndrome is not constant, but prone to recurrence. Typically, pain occurs several times a year, and its episodes tend to lengthen with each exacerbation. The painful episode develops gradually and slowly regresses. In 2/3 (66–75%) patients, after relief of the acute pain episode, it continued for approximately 1–3 months. Minor pain persists, which is the basis for the formation of recurrent pain. Over time, the pain may become constant.

Traditional treatment of facet syndrome

Often used in the treatment of facet syndrome medicinal methods: use of analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In some cases, therapeutic blockades with lidocaine and steroid hormones help eliminate pain. Also effective are drugs that improve the nutrition and function of intervertebral cartilage (chondroprotectors) and eliminate spasms of the back muscles (muscle relaxants). Disadvantages of drug therapy is the need for long-term use of medications (months, even years) and the long-term development of the clinical effect. Along with medications, physiotherapy and reflexology techniques, exercise therapy, massage, ozokerite applications, radon baths, etc. are used.

Treatment of facet syndrome using shock wave therapy

In recent years, it has attracted increasing attention from scientists and specialists as an effective and efficient remedy for chronic back pain caused by degenerative processes in the spine.

SWT has multiple beneficial effects in facet syndrome:

• Analgesic– quick relief of back pain;
• Anti-inflammatory;
• Trophic– the nutrition of the cartilage of the intervertebral joints improves, which slows down the destructive processes in the joint;
• Improving microcirculation in the tissues of the spine;
• Elimination of muscle spasm in paravertebral muscles;
• Remodeling of the spine structure, destruction of osteophytes and salt deposits;
• Improved mobility both in individual intervertebral segments and in the spine as a whole;
• Regenerative– promotes the restoration of cartilage tissue in damaged joints.

At the Avatage clinic, the attention of the doctor and the patient in case of facet syndrome is back pain. Subjective and objective assessment of the therapeutic effect for this disease is determined by the degree of elimination of pain in the spine. This symptom has the greatest negative impact on the patient’s quality of life, forcing him to abandon his usual active lifestyle. Shock wave therapy when used in the complex treatment of facet syndrome allows you to quickly and without side effects reduce or eliminate back pain, which will allow the patient to return to normal activities and sports as soon as possible. A distinctive feature from drug treatment is the absence of side effects, rapid pain relief and long-lasting effect.

When completing a course, the therapeutic effect occurs during the treatment process and increases over several months after the end of the course. The effectiveness of shockwave therapy for degenerative diseases of the spine is confirmed by objective research methods (positive X-ray and MRI dynamics 6 months after completion of the course of therapy).

The treatment regimen for shockwave therapy for facet syndrome at the Avatage Medical Center is standard (). During the treatment process, adjustments are made that take into account the individual needs of each patient. In the complex treatment scheme in our center, physical therapy methods and Evminov’s prophylactic are also actively used.

The most complete answers to questions on the topic: “hypertrophy of the facet joints, what is it.”

Deformation of the facet (facet) joints occurs due to arthrosis - unfortunately, a fairly common disease. This disease is very unpleasant and painful. Most often it affects adults or older people, but there are cases of arthrosis found in very young people, due to some physical injuries or congenital diseases.

Spondyloarthrosis of the facet joints

Spondyloarthrosis of the facet joints is an inflammatory process that arises due to the destruction of cartilage tissue and all components of the joints, including bone tissue. Due to the uneven distribution of the load, the cartilage layer that protects the bone tissue from abrasion and deformation is destroyed, which ultimately leads to hypertrophy (deformation) of the facet joints. Such changes cannot allow the joints to function fully, and stiffness of the spine occurs.

There are three types of arthrosis of the facet vertebrae:

• cervicoarthrosis - deformation of the facet joints of the cervical spine;
• dorsarthrosis. The joints of the thoracic region are affected;
• lumboarthrosis, damage to the joints of the lumbar spine.

Causes and symptoms

Deformation of the facet joints most often develops for the following reasons:

• previous spinal injuries;
• excessive stress on the spine (professional sports);
• impaired metabolic processes in the body, as well as excess weight;
• a consequence of old age;
• other diseases (osteochondrosis, flat feet).

Symptoms of spondyloarthrosis of the facet joints may not appear for a long time. Arthrosis is often discovered during examinations related to completely different human complaints. At the very beginning of the disease, they can make themselves known with mild, nagging pain and discomfort during physical activity.
A more advanced stage of the disease can cause acute pain and stiffness of movement, the inability to bend and straighten in the spine.

Most often, the cervical spine is subject to deformation of the facet joints.

Usually, people who spend a lot of time at the computer or sit for a long time in the wrong position experience pain in the neck. Periodically, movements are accompanied by an unpleasant crunching sound. Gradually, a person loses the ability to fully turn or tilt his head.

Arthrosis of the lumbar spine

Arthrosis of the facet joints of the lumbar spine is a disease characteristic of people with a sedentary lifestyle. It occurs as a result of regular static loads on the lumbar region of the spine, often expressed by pain in the sacral area. The pain is nagging in nature and can radiate to the buttocks. Lumboarthrosis has another striking sign - stiffness of the lower back upon awakening.

With arthrosis of the thoracic joints, back pain is usually a concern. And in case of prolonged illness, difficulty breathing may also appear. But this type of arthrosis is considered the rarest.

If the disease is not treated promptly, it can lead to incapacity.

Diagnostic and treatment methods

To make a final diagnosis of articular deformity, one examination by a doctor is not enough.

If arthrosis is suspected, it is necessary to undergo an examination, which must include an X-ray examination of the spine. The image can determine the stage of the disease and the general condition of the spine and cartilage tissue.

Treatment of facet joint deformity is a long and painstaking process. In order to get the effect of the prescribed procedures, you need a comprehensive approach to the problem, including:

• drug treatment;
• wearing orthopedic corsets and collars;
• physiotherapy;
• massage;
• physiotherapy;
• alternative medicine methods;
• traditional methods of treatment.

When starting treatment, you should remember that the result will depend not only on the effect of drugs and prescriptions. It is necessary to reconsider all aspects of your lifestyle - lose excess weight, add useful physical activity and, possibly, adjust your diet, start taking Artidex.

The essence of drug treatment for joint deformity lies largely in blocking pain, as well as in restoring cartilage tissue. When using this method, injections are used, including intravenous and intervertebral, tablets and various ointments. These can be analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and also chondroprotectors that tend to support cartilage tissue.