Bottom Line:
If you’ve had neck or back pain that you could pinpoint with your finger or felt a sharp pain in your back when moving, the cause may have been some sort of dysfunction with one or more of the facet joints of your spine. So, what are the facet joints?

Think of these joints as the “knuckles” of your spine that glide, slide, and stabilize.

They add flexibility to your spine so you’re able to bend and twist your back and also help to keep you from “over doing” any of those motions (i.e., hyperextending or hyper flexing).

Ensuring your facet joints are functioning at their best is important to making sure you’re able to move freely. If you think you might need facet joint pain treatment in Hallettsville, you’ve come to the right place! Here’s what you should know.

Why it Matters:
As we age, our spinal discs also age, and it’s our facet joints of the spine that take on the extra load cause by this spinal disc degeneration. The increased stress and pressure can then cause them to wear down. This can lead to the development of adhesions, bone spurs, and pain that can all limit our ability to move freely.

However, chiropractic spinal adjustments can help break up adhesions in and around your spinal facet joints and the other joints in your spine to help reduce pain and restore proper motion.

To recap, here’s what we know…

• The facet joints of your spine slide and glide to allow you to bend and twist your body.
• As we age, adhesions can develop in our facet joints that restrict how well we move.
• Adjustments help break up adhesions surrounding the facets so you can once again move freely and with less pain.

Chiropractic Care for Lumbar Facet Joint Pain Treatment
There’s a wide range of research supporting the use of chiropractic care for the management of adhesions and pain related to the lumbar facet joints and understanding the results of those studies can help you decide if facet joint pain treatment in Hallettsville may be right for you.

Here’s some basic terminology you’ll find helpful when reviewing medical research:

• The facet joints are also referred to as “Z” (zygapophyseal) joints.
• Chiropractic care / adjustments is also referred to as SMT (spinal manipulative therapy).
• The term “gapping” refers to the physical manipulation or mobilization of the joints.

In one recent study, researchers set out to understand the effects spinal manipulative therapy, and specifically gapping of the “Z” joints, can have on adhesions and pain in the lower back. They wanted to understand the effects chiropractic adjustments can have on adhesions surrounding the lumbar facet joints and any related low back pain to help evaluate its effectiveness as a facet joint pain treatment option.

The results showed the study participants reported both a reduction in pain and a reduction in restricted movement after receiving chiropractic care. These results demonstrate why conservative care like chiropractic is recommended as first-line therapy to treat low back pain, neck pain and any other pain related to the facet joints.

Next Steps:
The facet joints of your spine – whether we’re talking about the cervical facet joints of your neck or lumbar facet joints of your low back – need movement. Movement is medicine. Movement helps the facet joints stay healthy and may even help slow down the effects of aging.

Spinal adjustments have been shown to reduce adhesions in these joints so you can move more freely and with less pain. When you move better, you feel better, and we’re proud to be a part of the healthcare team that helps you stay active.

If you’ve been living with back pain and you’re nearby, know we’re here to provide the best facet joint pain treatment in Lavaca County, and our compassionate team is just a phone call away.

Science Source:
(1) Facet Joints. Physiopedia. 2022.
(2) 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.