Facet Joint Arthropathy: Relieving Spine Stiffness and Pain

Facet joints are the small, cartilage-lined joints located at the back of each vertebra that allow your spine to bend and twist. Facet Joint Arthropathy refers to degenerative arthritis affecting these joints, leading to cartilage wear, bone spur formation, and localized inflammation.

Symptoms of Facet Joint Arthropathy

• Localized ache in the lower back or neck, which does not typically radiate below the knee or elbow.
• Increased pain and stiffness with backward bending (spinal extension) or rotation.
• Marked stiffness in the morning or after periods of inactivity, which improves with gentle movement.
• Muscle spasms in the surrounding paraspinal muscles.

Physiotherapy Recovery Plan

1. Manual Therapy: Joint mobilizations to restore normal gliding of the facet joints and reduce localized stiffness.
2. Core and Segmental Stabilization: Strengthening the multifidus and deep abdominal muscles to decrease shear forces on the facet joints.
3. Postural Correction: Training to avoid excessive lumbar lordosis (swayback) which compresses the posterior spinal joints.
4. Myofascial Release: Dry needling or deep tissue massage to relieve secondary paraspinal muscle spasms.

Our therapists at Sparq Physiotherapy Clinic use gentle manual mobilization and core alignment protocols to unload the facet joints and restore pain-free spine mobility.