Facet Syndrome is one of the most common causes of back pain. It involves persistent, chronic pain anywhere from the neck to the lower back. There are small joints located between each vertebra that are called facet joints, which stabilize and add flexibility to the spine to accommodate activities such as running and bending. To ensure smoothness, these joints are covered in cartilage that allows each joint to easily glide over others. Over time or due to an injury, these areas of cartilage can succumb to wear and tear. This can lead to the growths called “bone spurs.” These growth cause friction between the bones that can lead to the swelling and stiffness of arthritis.
What Are The Symptoms of Facet Syndrome?
It is important to look out for the symptoms of Facet Syndrome. You may feel that pain is often at its peak when you wake up or fall asleep or notice that your pain can change with the weather. If you feel a pain that is radiating to other parts of the body, such as pain from the lower back being felt in the buttocks and leg, it is often a sign of Facet Syndrome. You may start to feel headaches at the base of the skull and aching behind the eyes. A tell-tale sign is also hearing the rubbing of bones when you move as well as observing an abnormal curvature of the spine.
Some people are at more risk for developing Facet Syndrome than others. If you are overweight or overuse your back in sports or heavy labor, you are most likely to suffer from back pains. You may also develop Facet Syndrome if you have suffered an injury to your back such as whiplash or a torsion injury due to a car accident. Receiving a sudden jerk of the neck or trauma to the spine is an important risk factor that can lead to the syndrome.
Doctors usually research your medical history to determine if the symptoms of your Facet Syndrome are hereditary. This condition usually does not require surgery to be fully treated and doctors often prescribe pain medications, heat treatment and modified activity to help reduce the pain. Weight loss can also improve posture and help ease weight off the back.
Whatever path you choose to treat Facet Syndrome, it often involves a lot of time and money, which can be frustrating if you were hurt and it was not your fault. Book a free consultation at Barber and Associates, LLC in Anchorage to see if our personal injury lawyers can help you fight for your rights and get the compensation you deserve.