Your Guide to Healing and Living with Facet Arthrosis

If you are exploring reliable ways to manage facet arthrosis, you are not alone.

Facet arthrosis is a form of osteoarthritis affecting the facet joints in your spine. These joints allow your back to bend and twist smoothly, but over time, the cartilage that cushions them can wear down. As a result, your spine may feel stiff, irritated, or downright painful.

Below, you will find a clear walk-through on facet arthrosis: what it is, why it happens, how to recognize it, and which treatment options you might consider. You will also discover some practical lifestyle changes for long-term relief.

A Closer Look At Facet Arthrosis

Facet arthrosis, sometimes called facet arthropathy or facet joint arthritis, refers to osteoarthritis of the facet joints along your spine.

These pairs of small joints are located on each side of your vertebrae. They help guide your spine’s flexibility by enabling it to bend forward, twist, and extend backward.

When you develop facet arthrosis, the protective cartilage in these joints wears thin. As a result, bone-on-bone contact can trigger friction, inflammation, and pain.

Pinpoint Common Causes

Facet arthrosis often arises from age-related degeneration or certain spinal injuries. There is usually no single trigger. Instead, underlying causes often blend together:

• Wear and Tear with Age
  Aging remains the leading cause of facet arthrosis, as the cartilage naturally loses its elasticity and thickness over time. The lubricating synovial fluid can also decrease, making the joints more prone to friction. Physiopedia notes that this degenerative process typically worsens in older adults.
• Injury or Trauma
  Spinal crashes, sports injuries, or certain repetitive movements can create microtears in your facet joints. These injuries allow the cartilage to deteriorate more quickly. If you suspect a more dramatic event such as a spinal fracture, getting a professional diagnosis early is key to preventing complications.
• Poor Posture or Obesity
  Carrying extra weight puts added pressure on your spine, while slouching can shift too much load onto specific vertebrae. This tailspin of overstressed joints can wear away cartilage faster.
• Other Spinal Conditions
  If you have disc degeneration, spondylosis, or facet hypertrophy, the extra mechanical stress on adjoining facet joints may accelerate arthrosis. Joint alignment matters: any slight misalignment tends to deliver excessive demands on these small but vital structures.

Recognize Typical Symptoms

Facet arthrosis can appear in the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), or lumbar (lower back) region. Each location can present slightly different signs.

Common symptoms include:

• Dull, Achy Pain: Many individuals feel a persistent low-level ache along the spine. WebMD emphasizes that pain can become sharper during specific movements, especially twisting or leaning backward.  
• Stiffness and Limited Range of Motion: You might notice morning stiffness that eases gradually as you move about your day. In the lower spine, you could feel resistance when bending forward to tie your shoes.  
• Radiating Discomfort: In some cases, bone spurs or joint enlargement can lead to nerve compression. You might then feel numbness, tingling, or an electric-like pain extending down your legs or arms.  
• Pain Flare-Ups with Activity: Prolonged standing or sitting, as well as bending or squatting, may aggravate discomfort. This can significantly impact daily chores, exercise routines, or workplace tasks.

Because these symptoms overlap with other spine-related conditions—such as facet joint syndrome, lumbar facet syndrome, and radiculopathy—you should consult a healthcare professional for thorough testing.

Explore Diagnosis Methods

If you notice persistent stiffness, shooting pain, or difficulty moving, it is wise to see a specialist for an accurate diagnosis. Treatment becomes more effective when you identify the precise source of your pain.

• Physical Examination
  Your healthcare provider will assess your posture, muscle strength, and spinal alignment. They may also perform manual maneuvers to see which positions trigger pain in your facet joints.
• Imaging Tests
  X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs help visualize the wear and tear in your facet joints and helps physicians  see if the cartilage has deteriorated or if bone spurs are emerging (Spine-Health).

• Diagnostic Injections
  In some instances, your specialist may recommend a medial branch block. This injection delivers a numbing medication near the small nerves that communicate pain from your facet joints. If you notice significant pain relief, it confirms the diagnosis of facet arthrosis. Doctors may also use advanced imaging guidance such as ultrasound guided facet injection to improve accuracy.
• Nerve Conduction Studies
  When your doctor suspects nerve damage, these tests gauge how effectively signals travel through your nerves. A conduction delay or block can signal nerve irritation caused by arthritic changes in the spine.

Consider Non-Surgical Options

A robust first line of treatment often involves conservative (nonsurgical) approaches that may be used either individually or in tandem.

These can significantly reduce pain and enhance mobility while delaying or preventing the need for more invasive procedures.

Physical Therapy and Exercise

Targeted physical therapy can be highly effective at alleviating pain and improving spinal stability. Your therapist may combine:

• Manual Therapy: Hands-on techniques help loosen tight muscles, reduce joint stiffness, and ease pain.  
• Low-Impact Aerobic Exercise: Activities such as walking or swimming improve overall endurance without placing undue stress on your back.  
• Strengthening and Stretching: Stronger core and back muscles better support your spine, while gentle stretches preserve healthy range of motion.

Home Remedies

You can do plenty at home to help your back handle day-to-day demands:

• Heat or Cold Therapy: Apply heat packs to loosen stiff muscles, or use cold packs after a flare-up to reduce swelling.  
• Supportive Posture: Aim for neutral spine alignment whether you are standing, sitting, or lifting items. Using a back brace may help remind you to avoid slouching, although it is typically for short-term use.  
• Activity Modification: Avoid motions that cause severe pain, especially deep twists or heavy lifting. If you are new to exercise, start slow with low-impact routines.

Lifestyle Adjustments

Small lifestyle changes can make a big impact in managing pain and preventing more damage to spinal joints:

• Daily Movement: Staying active can actually mitigate pain. Light walks and gentle stretching help keep your joints lubricated and reduce stiffness.
• Healthy Weight Management: Each extra pound adds strain to your lumbar joints, so maintaining an optimal weight can alleviate some mechanical stress.  
• Postural Awareness: Aim to balance weight evenly on both feet. When you sit, keep your spine neutral and your shoulders relaxed.  
• Ergonomic Workplace Setup: Ensure your desk height, chair, and screen level help you maintain a supported posture.  
• Regular Low-Impact Exercise: Choose activities like walking, swimming, or gentle cycling. These exercises boost spinal flexibility and core strength without jarring the joints.  
• Spine-Supportive Techniques: Learn proper lifting methods and incorporate back-stabilizing exercises so you do not overburden your facet joints (Physiopedia).

Medications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are generally the first choice to ease inflammation and discomfort. Although over-the-counter options can help, but your doctor might prescribe stronger medications if your pain is intense.

Some individuals also use topical creams or patches on the affected area for localized relief.

It's important to note, medications rarely solve the underlying joint problems. However, they can make it easier for you to stay active and follow a physical therapy program.

Injection Therapy

When your pain does not respond to simpler methods, injections may be next:

• Epidural Steroid Injections: A steroid solution aims to tame inflammation around nerves and the facet joint itself.  
• Medial Branch Blocks: These target nerve impulses along the facet joints, effectively blocking pain signals to your brain.  
• Facet Joint Injections: A combination of anesthetic and steroid is injected directly where inflammation is most pronounced (Sciatica.com).

While effective for some, injections often carry modest risks like potential infection, nerve irritation, or bleeding. Careful screening will help doctors determine if these procedures suit your condition.

Evaluate Surgical Treatments

If your label of facet arthrosis is severe and conservative methods are not reducing your pain, surgery might be an option. This typically becomes a last resort when quality of life is seriously strained.

• Spinal Fusion
  Surgeons join two or more vertebrae to minimize motion in the painful segments. By stabilizing the spinal column, you may notice less irritation in the affected facet joints. However, spinal fusion can place additional stress on surrounding vertebrae.
• Laminectomy or Facetectomy
  A laminectomy removes part of your vertebral bone to widen the spinal canal if nerves are compressed. Meanwhile, a facetectomy includes removing parts of the facet joint, such as bone spurs or other tissue pressing on the nerves.
• Nerve Ablation (Rhizotomy)
  Radiofrequency ablation or endoscopic rhizotomy heats and disables pain-transmitting nerves around the facet joints for up to several years of relief (Sciatica.com). This procedure specifically targets problematic nerve fibers without requiring major structural changes in your spine.
• Discectomy
  If a bulging or herniated disc worsens your facet arthrosis or leads to nerve compression, removing the damaged portion of the disc can relieve pressure and ease pain.

Surgeries vary widely in complexity and recovery time. When you speak to your surgeon, ask about “minimally invasive spine procedures,” which can reduce tissue damage and shorten healing periods.

Above all, it pays to take a balanced approach. Combining professional guidance with daily self-care strategies can enhance your quality of life.

With the right support, you can reduce discomfort, preserve your spine’s flexibility, and continue doing the activities you love.

Seek RELIEF®

RELIEF® is an evidence-backed, minimally invasive treatment designed to target dysfunctional fascia and irritated soft tissues surrounding the spinal structures—especially the facet joint capsules that help stabilize and guide spinal movement.¹

When these fascial layers become inflamed or adhered from degenerative arthritis, repetitive strain, or injury, they can restrict spinal motion and increase mechanical pressure on the facet joints and nearby nerves; contributing to chronic back or neck pain.^2,3 

The RELIEF® treatment combines a hydrodissection technique to mechanically disrupt scar tissue and adhesions, while delivering amnion-based solution that can decrease inflammation and support regenerative tissue healing.⁷ This may help restore healthy tissue mobility around the facet joints, and reduces mechanical irritation in the spinal motion segment—without steroids, surgery, anesthesia, or prolonged downtime^.4,5,6

If you’re in the Miami area and experiencing facet joint pain, spinal arthritis, or other spine-related mobility limitations, contact us today to learn how RELIEF® may help restore comfort, spinal motion, and overall functional recovery.