by Stephen Akamine
The Cervical Spine and Lumbar Spine are Complex Structures that oftentimes exhibit Complex Causes of Neck Pain and Lower Back Pain. The cause of the 2 most common forms of pain in the human anatomy, Neck Pain or Lower Back Pain, can sometimes be extremely complex at times due to the complexity of their structures. There is always a root cause or secondary cause of Neck Pain or Lower Back Pain, and that source of Neck Pain or Lower Back Pain is oftentimes labeled as a secret or hidden cause because it can be overlooked and very difficult to diagnose. That Secret or Hidden cause of Neck Pain or Lower Back Pain is better known as Facet Syndrome or Facet Joint Pain. Facet Syndrome or Facet Joint Pain is a collection of Chronic Neck Pain Symptoms or Chronic Lower Back Pain Symptoms directly related to pain in the facet joints, and that is why it is known as a Chronic Pain Syndrome.
What is Articulation of a Facet Joint? Facet Joints are posterior Spinal Joints that connect an adjacent upper and lower vertebrae together. The medical name Zygapophyseal Joint for a Facet Joint is complex in itself and difficult to pronounce. The Facet Joint moves in a manner that is medically known as Articulation within defined ranges of motion. Facet Joint articulation includes bending forward, which is known as flexion, bending backward, which is known as extension, and twisting to either the left or to the right, which for the Neck is known as Cervical rotation, and for the Lower Back, which is known as Thoracolumbar rotation. Flexion stretches and unloads the Facet Joint, while extension compresses or loads the Facet Joint. Facet Joints also limit range of motion in the spine, which helps to prevent excessive range of motion that can cause damage to spinal discs.
What is a Synovial Joint? Facet joints are Synovial Joints- the most common joint in the human body. A Synovial Joint is characterized by having a joint capsule, joint capsule fluid-synovial fluid to lubricate the inside of the joint, and cartilage on the outside of the joint between the upper and lower adjacent surfaces of each vertebra to allow a smooth gliding movement.
What are the causes and characteristics of Facet Arthritis? Degenerative Arthritis, a form of facet joint inflammation, is also known as Facet Arthritis or Facet Arthropathy, and is one of the syndromes of Facet Joint Pain. This Chronic Pain condition can be caused by wear and tear, degeneration of the cartilage surfaces, joint capsule.
How is Joint Movement affected? When the articulation of the Facet Joint is in some way restricted, then Facet Joint Pain is often the result. When the joint becomes stuck or fixated in the open or closed position or in the partially open or partially closed position, then Facet Joint Pain is often the result. Either the muscles surrounding the joint could be the source of the problem, or the dysfunction of the joint itself could be the problem. The muscles surrounding the joint could become hypertonic-extremely tight causing compression and loading and restricted articulation resulting in pain, or the joint could have a problem binding, or becoming stuck open or closed, resulting in Facet Joint Pain, which in turn causes a problem with the muscles surrounding the joint.
Can Facet Joint Pain be caused by other Conditions? Some causes of Facet joint pain are: Injury or Trauma, Incorrect Neck Posture or incorrect Lower Back Posture, Forward Pelvic Rotation, Abnormal spinal curvature, Hyperlordosis-excessive arch in the lower back, Scoliosis-Lateral Lumbar spinal curvature.
What are Facet Syndrome Symptoms of the Lower Back? Lower back pain or tenderness, increased pain upon side bending or twisting or arching the lower back or torso, deep dull aching pain that moves to the buttocks or the back of the thighs, and/or stiffness or difficulty with certain movements, such as standing up straight or getting up out of a chair are all symptoms of Lower back facet joint pain symptoms. The initial onset of pain might be related to a rotational spinal injury or a spinal injury involving hyperextension of the spine.
What are the Symptoms of Neck-Cervical Facet Syndrome? Neck Pain, Headaches, Shoulder Pain, and/or difficulty side bending or rotating the head are all Facet Join pain neck symptoms. Check to see if the Facet Joint Pain Assessment indicates the pain scale for the associated problems. Find out if there is a history of whiplash or any other kind of neck injury.
Is Facet Joint Articulation restricted? Articulation is the single most important question that needs to be answered, and if we conduct a special test known as the spring test which can test for basic joint movement, we can maybe hope to have some kind of answer.
Can Facet Joint Pain be relieved with Special Exercises? Yes, an experienced Medical Massage Therapist will be able to formulate an effective exercise treatment plan to relieve Facet Joint Pain. If the cervical (neck) spine is affected by excessive forward head posture and hypertonic neck musculature, there are strengthening and stretching exercises for postural correction and hypertonicity reduction that will definitely reduce facet joint pain. Lumbar facet joint compression can be caused by Lumbar Lordosis and hypertonic hip flexors and hypertonic lower back musculature. Stretching and strengthening exercises to reduce joint compression and help prevent joint fixation can help to reverse the postural distortion that has occurred and will reduce facet joint pain.
About the Author:
Stephen Akamine is a Myofascial Pain Specialist and is highly regarded as one of the top Licensed Medical Massage Therapists in the State of Hawaii. You can find
Facet Joint Pain information and information about soft tissue treatment for pain at his
online resource center.