HOW CAN I MANAGE MY FACET JOINT PAIN?

Back pain can have a variety of different causes. One of those causes is a condition called facet joint syndrome or osteoarthritis. This can cause back pain that can impact how you live your daily life. Clearway Pain Solutions, your pain management practitioner, discusses facet joint pain and how you can get rid of it so you can live your life again.

WHAT IS FACET JOINT SYNDROME?

In your spine, you have what are called facet joints that allow you to perform the bending and twisting motions. They exist at each segment of the spine and contain cartilage that allows them to move smoothly. When these joints get damaged, the spine isn’t able to move as well as it was before.

Following damage to the facet joints, the cartilage starts slowly rubbing away. This makes it inflamed and is what causes the pain. Once the last of the cartilage officially wears away, your bones will be rubbing against each other. This can cause bone spurs, leading to even more pain.

HOW DO I KNOW FACET JOINT SYNDROME IS CAUSING MY PAIN?

It’s possible that you won’t even know you have this syndrome until something happens to trigger symptoms. The pain is usually described as a dull pain that runs throughout the lower back. You may have trouble getting from a seated position to standing up. You’ll notice pain and difficulty when you try to bend backward or twist sideways.

It’s also possible to get facet joint syndrome in your neck. With this form, you’ll have trouble turning your head or will have to turn your whole body to look at something to your left or right.

WHAT ARE MY TREATMENT OPTIONS?

At Clearway, we primarily relieve facet joint pain with facet joint injections. They contain anesthesia and steroids and are injected directly into the joint. With the anesthesia, you’ll have pain relief right away and the doctor will be able to tell that the right area was targeted.

After about a half-hour, the doctor will ask you to do an exercise that normally would bring you pain. This will help them determine if they’ve injected into the right joint, or if it’s higher or lower. This treatment can last for weeks or months, there’s no set time and it depends on each case. However, the steroid is beneficial at soothing inflammation and you should feel relief in no time!

The Clearway Pain Solutions pain management doctors will also determine if you need further treatment besides just the injections. You may need something like physical therapy or chiropractic care to further relieve your pain.

TREATMENT FROM YOUR PAIN MANAGEMENT DOCTORS

You don’t have to continue living with chronic back pain. Call Clearway Pain Solutions today or schedule an appointment online so that you can take on life normally again.