Do You Have Back Pain? And Could It Be Facet Syndrome? How Chiropractors Can Help.

First off, you might be asking, what a facet is? A facet joint connects vertebrae in your spine together. There are four facet joints on a single vertebra, two at the top and two at the bottom and they’re located towards the back of said vertebra. They connect your spine like a puzzle piece and they provide stability of the spine and allow for movement, it is also important to note that these joints are richly innervated with pain receptor nerve endings... In other words, they’re very important little joints that can create a lot of pain.

Facet syndrome in Portland is one of the most common causes of back pain, but it can cause neck pain too since facet joints are located along the entire length of the spine. As we age, these facet joints tend to degenerate with repetitive movements and general “wear and tear” of the body and unfortunately pain usually follows. When one facet joint has an issue with degeneration or has been damaged, it tends to create a domino effect in the other facets around it. They all have to work harder because one can’t keep up.

Facet joint degeneration happens along the entire spine, but it is most common in the lower back and you feel the pain most when you’re bending backwards or coming up from bending forwards. This is because since the facet joints are located in the back of each vertebra, bending backwards puts a lot of stress on these joints.

There is light at the end of the tunnel though, chiropractors are considered to be the first line of treatment for back pain and facet syndrome. Chiropractic care is conservative care and it’s designed to provide people with relief from the back pain (and neck pain) that conditions like facet syndrome can cause.

Chiropractic Care for Facet Syndrome in Portland OR

Chiropractors in Oregon, will first discuss things like posture, body mechanics, working conditions and provide therapeutic exercises along with stretches to take some pressure off of the facet joints. Next chiropractors will assess your lower back and see if an adjustment is needed. In most cases it is, but a good chiropractor will always see if an adjustment is needed in the first place. Sometimes just mobilizing the spine can provide relief. After mobilizing the spine or an adjustment, the nerves surrounding the facet joints tend to be less irritated and you’ll typically experience some pain relief. It is important to follow any advice given about posture and therapeutic exercises for sustained relief, along with a proper treatment plan to see the chiropractor more routinely until your symptoms are improving. The more you adhere to the exercises, the posture recommendations, and treatment plan at the chiropractic office, the longer you’ll feel relief. After a while, you won’t need to come into the chiropractor as often and if you do, it will most likely be for maintenance care and not symptomatic relief.

How do you know if you have facet syndrome?

Well, there are some specific signs that help chiropractors get a better diagnosis of facet syndrome.

First, the pain is typically diffuse, you can’t really pinpoint it, but generally it’s near the buttocks region or up the sides of the lower back, not central. It can also wrap around towards the outer thigh or groin area depending on where the facets are involved.

Second, the pain you have in your lower back is relieved when you’re sitting down versus standing up.

Third, the pain is more prevalent in the morning, your lower back will tend to feel more stiff then.

Fourth, the pain is worse with bending backwards or coming up from bending forward. It can be worse with rotation and bending to the side as well, as these directions put a lot of pressure on the facet joints.

Here at North Portland Wellness Group, we treat facet syndrome and lower back pain. Our job is to identify the right diagnosis, give you the right information on what’s going on without the medical jargon, provide a tool box of useful exercises and stretches you can do at home and together we help you get out of any pain that you're in.