Exercises to Avoid if You Have Facet Joint Pain

Whether you are managing chronic back discomfort or newly diagnosed with facet joint syndrome, it is important to know the facet joint pain exercises to avoid. By steering clear of certain high-impact or twisting movements, you can reduce flare-ups and help protect your spine from further stress.

This article discusses how facet joints work, why certain exercises may worsen pain, and which alternatives you can safely consider. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting or adjusting any fitness routine.

Understand Facet Joints

Facet joints are the small connections on the back of each vertebra in your spine. They guide and stabilize your spine as it bends and twists, allowing you to move more flexibly. When these joints are under stress—due to injury, inflammation, or degenerative changes—they can become painful and restrict your range of motion. The condition is often referred to as facet joint syndrome or facet arthropathy, and it may present as localized pain, stiffness, or soreness that can radiate to nearby muscles.

• These facet joints help keep your spine aligned while you rotate or bend forward.  
• If you develop facet joint pain, you might notice discomfort when shifting from sitting to standing or when performing overhead lifts.  
• According to Physiopedia, certain postures and activities that involve excessive spinal extension or rotation place extra load on these joints, contributing to flare-ups.  

If you want additional details about the nature and progression of facet-related conditions, consider reviewing facet arthropathy or facet joint syndrome. Understanding these conditions can help you better recognize the mechanics behind your back pain and take proactive steps to manage it.

Identify Exercises To Avoid

When you have facet joint pain, certain exercise types may push your spine beyond a comfortable range, triggering sharp discomfort or lingering soreness. Below are the main categories of workouts you should generally avoid or significantly modify.

High-Impact Aerobics

Running, jumping, and other high-intensity exercises frequently cause your spine to absorb repeated jolts. While this impact can be tolerable for healthy spines, it may worsen inflammation in compromised facet joints. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) specifically warns individuals with chronic lower back pain, including facet joint issues, against high-impact aerobic activities such as running.

These activities can irritate your facet joints, causing new or increased pain:

• Jumping rope, plyometrics, and sprinting place repeated force on your vertebrae.  
• If you already experience pain with everyday walking or standing, running might compound those symptoms.  
• Substituting running with walking, swimming, or cycling is often more comfortable for inflamed facet joints.

Excessive Weight Lifting

Heavy weight lifting, especially when it involves engaging your trunk muscles in a bent or twisted position, can strain the lower back. If you are dealing with facet joint pain, that strain may compound existing inflammation and stiffness. Lifting excessively heavy barbells or dumbbells can push your spine into positions that overload the facet joints.

• Exercises such as heavy deadlifts, squats with large loads, or overhead presses may place undue compression on the spine.  
• The ACSM recommends limiting strength training to one set of 10–15 repetitions when you begin an exercise routine for facet joint issues (Medical News Today).  
• Gradually progress your weights once you feel stable and pain-free instead of piling on plates immediately.

Repetitive Bending Or Twisting

Facet joints allow controlled, moderate twisting and flexing. However, repetitive twisting or bending patterns—particularly with weights in hand—can overstress the joint surfaces. You might notice sharper pain if your workout routines include these continuous rotational or bending movements under load.

• Woodchoppers, high-volume kettlebell swings, and certain dynamic twisting crunches can all aggravate inflamed facet joints.  
• Bending backward or twisting at the torso is especially risky.  
• If your job requires regular lifting and twisting, consult an occupational therapist for safer techniques that reduce torque on your spine.

Backward Bending Or Hyperextension

Movements that incorporate extreme backward bends—such as certain yoga backbends—can compress your facet joints at the rear of the spine. Although these poses help some individuals build back strength, they may irritate already inflamed facet joints.

• Deep lumbar extensions (for instance, upward-facing dog or standing backbend) can be painful if your joints are sensitive.  
• When performed repetitively, these extensions may exacerbate joint instability and encourage episodes of sharp discomfort.  
• Even mild hyperextension exercises can trigger pain flare-ups if your spine is already compromised.

Know Why They Hurt

Although each of these exercises targets different muscle groups, they share a common denominator: they place significant force on your spinal joints. You will want to recognize how and why these forces affect your back pain.

• Compressive Load: Large weights and high-impact movements increase the load on cartilage in your facet joints, aggravating inflammation.  
• Excessive Rotation: Twisting past your comfortable range can inflame these joints and risk facet joint instability.  
• Overextension: Hyperextension closes off joint space at the back of the vertebrae, intensifying pain.  
• Sudden Stress: High-impact movements can send shockwaves through your spine that jar already irritated joints.

Whenever your body signals pain or strain during a workout, heed it immediately. Persistent discomfort may indicate the need to modify your activities, use better form, or adopt an alternative exercise approach entirely.

Try Low-Impact Alternatives

Fortunately, avoiding strenuous exercises does not mean you cannot stay active and fit. Shifting toward low-impact, moderate-intensity workouts allows you to preserve your joint health while building or maintaining core strength.

These alternatives help reduce the repetitive pounding on inflamed joints.

Gentle Stretching

Light stretching is both a pain management tool and a way to preserve your flexibility. When your facet joints feel tight, short static stretches can ease tension around the vertebrae. Aim for stretches that do not push your spine into extreme extension or twisting.

• Consider child’s pose or cat-cow stretches.  
• Kneel and press your hips back gently, or arch and then round your spine, moving within a comfortable range.  
• Hold each stretch for about 20 to 30 seconds and avoid any posture that triggers intense discomfort.

Walking Or Swimming

Walking involves minimal spinal flexion and extension, making it a strong go-to choice for daily aerobic exercise. If you want to reduce weight-bearing even more, swimming provides buoyancy that supports your back while you move.

• Swimming keeps your spine in a relatively neutral position.  
• If the front crawl triggers pain due to trunk rotation, switch to breaststroke or use a kickboard to stabilize your upper body.  
• Increase your walking or swimming duration gradually; start with short sessions of 10 to 15 minutes to assess your tolerance.

Gradual Strength Training

Even when you have facet joint pain, you can build muscle endurance—provided you use controlled movements, moderate weights, and proper rest. Focus on supporting muscle groups like the core, hips, and glutes, which help stabilize your spine.

• Try bridges or bird-dog exercises. 
• Maintain proper alignment: keep your spine neutral, and avoid overarching your lower back.  
• Begin with short sets (1 set of 10–15 reps) and slowly progress if you do not experience new pain.

Adopt Helpful Daily Habits

Your workouts are only one component of preserving a healthy spine. Everyday habits around posture, rest, and movement also play a critical role in reducing facet joint flare-ups.

According to Physiopedia, poor posture can increase the load on your joints, while excessive lumbar lordosis (an especially curved lower back) can hasten facet joint wear.

• Sit and stand with a neutral spine, aligning your head over your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips.  
• Break up long periods of poor posture by standing, moving around, or performing gentle stretches every 30–60 minutes.  
• Ensure that you do not rely on extended bed rest; more than two days of complete rest can decondition your muscles further and worsen back issues.

Additional daily changes—such as using an ergonomic office chair, adjusting seat height, and maintaining a hip-to-knee alignment—can alleviate tension on inflamed facet joints. If you notice lingering stiffness, consult a physical therapist for posture corrections that specifically address your routine tasks.

Consult Your Healthcare Provider

Even the safest-looking exercises can become risky without the right approach, particularly if you have underlying medical conditions besides facet joint pain.

Your doctor or physical therapist can evaluate your spine, confirm the primary source of your pain, and guide you toward appropriate exercises.

• If you are uncertain about certain movements, ask your provider for clarification or advice.  
• They may suggest imaging tests or refer you to a specialist if your symptoms do not improve.  
• A customized rehab plan might include targeted physical therapy, facet hypertrophy management strategies, or advanced treatments like ultrasound guided facet injection.  

When conservative approaches are not enough, do not hesitate to explore minimally invasive spine procedures that could alleviate joint pressure. Always weigh the benefits and risks of any procedure with your healthcare provider.

Maintain Your Progress

Long-term relief from facet joint pain depends on adopting a consistent exercise strategy that suits your needs. By approaching physical activity methodically, you minimize setbacks and build a healthier spine over time. This holistic approach might involve gentle core workouts combined with posture awareness, supportive practices like yoga modifications, and periodic professional check-ins.

• Continue using low-impact aerobic exercises such as walking or swimming.  
• Gradually expand your strength routine, checking for changes in your pain levels.  
• Integrate core stabilization exercises, such as bird-dog or planks on your knees, as recommended by spinal health experts.

An evolving plan ensures you adapt to improvements or setbacks. If your condition changes, reevaluate your strategy with a spine specialist so you can keep moving forward safely.

Conclusion

You do not have to give up on exercise or mobility just because of facet joint pain. By focusing on facet joint pain exercises to avoid—particularly high-impact, heavy lifting, repetitive twisting, and extreme backbends—you reduce the triggers that can inflame your spine and interfere with daily life.

Low-impact stretches, walking, swimming, and mindful strength training offer safer ways to stay fit and flexible. Combine these lifestyle choices with advice from a healthcare professional to create a balanced exercise program tailored to your condition.

Over time, you will likely find that small, consistent adjustments can produce meaningful relief and help you stay active without triggering unwanted flare-ups. If you ever feel uncertain about a particular movement, always consult your doctor or physical therapist for personalized guidance.

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 biologics 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.

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