Usually, non-surgical treatments are the first line of treatment and have a high success rate in contrast to the traditional methods. This non-surgical orthopedics treatment helps in reducing pain that shoots from a facet joint. Our experts at Jersey Joint, Spine, & Regen offer a full range of available treatments and make them personalized to individuals. 

For dysfunction and chronic pain that does not respond to nonsurgical care or for severe conditions, such as dislocations, complex fractures, or spinal cord involvement, a surgical intervention might be recommended. Let’s discuss how these treatments are game-changers for facet joint pain.

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Causes Of Facet Joint Syndrome

The facet or sacroiliac joint pain is usually caused by the natural wear and tear of the joints over time. Because the joints in the upper and lower back are exposed to sustained stress from bending and twisting, thus they start to become fragile and break down. This degeneration eventually becomes the core cause of pain. Other factors include:

1. Being overweight or obese
2. Poor posture
3. Repetitive bending or twisting
4. Spine fractures
5. Torn ligaments
6. Trauma, such as an accident, fall, or sports injury

Joint pain can impact both men and women and is usually seen in people aged between 40 and 70. Moreover, apart from occurring in people prone to arthritis, it might also develop in people who have had a spine trauma or injury. To help you determine the underlying cause of your condition, our experts perform detailed evaluations and make personalized treatment plans for each patient. 

Symptoms Of Facet Joint Syndrome

Based on the involved number of facets and the complexity of the disorder, patients going through this syndrome might go through the below-listed symptoms:

• Tender to Touch: The pain might intensify even under the slightest pressure exerted on the skin over the problematic facet. 
• Referred Pain: It means that pain occurs in a different part of the body other than the actual source of pain. People seeking facet joint pain management might suffer from pain in the thighs, buttocks, knees, or hips. It can also be felt in the pelvis and/or abdomen. 
• Localized Pain: It is mostly a dull ache felt in the lower back.
• Radiating Pain: Usually, patients experience a shooting and sharp pain that radiates to the leg, thigh, buttock, and/or foot. Fatigue and muscle weakness might occur in the affected leg.
• Crepitus: Arthritic alterations in the facets might result in a feeling of grating or grinding upon movements in the joints. 
• Stiffness: It is most likely to happen after long periods of inactivity or early in the morning. Once you start being active, the troubled area is loosened up, and you will experience facet joint pain relief.

If you are suffering from the symptoms we have talked about or anything usual, feel free to reach out to our experts and get instant care and long-term pain relief. 

Best Treatment For Facet Joint Pain

Your doctor will suggest some conservative spine and joint pain management options to begin with. We highly recommend you opt for the non-surgical treatments available rather than jumping on surgical ones. If those first-line options fail to aid you, manage and control your pain, your physician will then recommend ablations, injections, or even surgery.  

Medications

You might be given some oral facet joint pain medication or topical creams, patches, or salves. If you begin experiencing muscle spasms, talk to your doctor about it; they may prescribe you muscle relaxers to help stop them from occurring.  

Steroid Joint Injections

Steroids can help reduce inflammation and swelling of the nerves in the facet joint. For this minimally invasive procedure, an analgesic-numbing agent and corticosteroid are injected into the painful joint. It provides pain relief that lasts from days to even years. When done along with other facet joint pain treatment procedures, steroid injections help improve your condition. If required, you can get this injection again.  

Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation

It begins with a diagnostic nerve block test to identify which nerves require facet joint pain management and might be needed if steroid injections do not give long-term relief from pain. After the nerve block is completed, the doctors inject an anesthetic along the nerve to block out the pain. If that part of the treatment works, your doctor will proceed with radiofrequency ablation to attain longer-lasting pain relief. It works a lot like a nerve block, and it offers pain relief for at least 9 months to up to more than 2 years.

Facet Joint Injections

Injections can be used to diagnose or for facet joint pain management. They are administered to the medial branch of the facet nerve of the affected joint. Numbing can help to significantly get rid of the pain of all the downstream branches of the facet nerve. Even though the relief you get from these injections is temporary, there are limits on how frequently you can get them. 

Concluding Thoughts

A blend of one or more treatments is mostly tried to control the symptoms of facet joint problems. For a lot of patients, a combination of exercise, medication, lifestyle changes, and joint pain management NJ, along with posture correction, helps in controlling the pain. If the signs and symptoms continue to progress, then you might be recommended for a surgical consultation. Our experienced team at Jersey Joint, Spine, & Regen does our best to provide you relief while sticking with non-surgical options, as they come with minimal downtime and risks. So, what are you waiting for? Consult us now and say hello to a pain-free life.