Facet Joints: Gliding Your Way to Better Health
If you’ve had neck or back pain that you could put a finger on, or sharp pain when moving, it may be due to facet joints of your spine. It’s easy to think of your facet joints as the knuckles of your spine. They are small joints with a capsule and cartilage pad that glide and slide, allowing your spine and body to move.
As you go through life and your spinal discs undergo the aging process, your facet joints take on the extra load. Unfortunately, this excess stress and pressure can wear down your facet joints, resulting in the beginning of the degenerative process, which can cause adhesions, restricted motion, bone spurs, and pain.
- The facet joints of your spine slide and glide as you move.
- Restrictions or adhesions in the facets can occur with age and injury.
- Spinal adjustments help the facet joints move freely and decrease painful restrictions.
The facet joints of your spine thrive on movement. Movement helps them stay healthy and may even slow down the degenerative process. Spinal adjustments have been shown to reduce adhesions of the facet joints, allowing you to move more freely with less pain. We believe that when you are moving better, you are feeling better, and we’re proud to be a part of the healthcare team that helps you stay active!
Science Sources:
- Comparative Clinical Effectiveness of Nonsurgical Treatment Methods in Patients With Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 2019
- Magnetic resonance imaging zygapophyseal joint space changes (gapping) in low back pain patients following spinal manipulation and side-posture positioning: a randomized controlled mechanisms trial with blinding. JMPT 2013
- Symptomatic magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed lumbar disk herniation patients: a comparative effectiveness prospective observational study of 2 age- and sex-matched cohorts treated with high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulative therapy or imaging-guided lumbar nerve root injections. JMPT 2013
- Changes in biochemical markers of pain perception and stress response after spinal manipulation. Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2014
