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Struggling with Facet Disease?
Laser-Assisted Spine Procedures Can Help
Your back and spine are exceptionally versatile and strong. They allow you to support heavy weight and enjoy a level of flexibility. Part of the strength and flexibility comes from the facet joints that sit between the individual vertebra in your back.
What Is Facet Disease?
When your facet joints are healthy, your spine moves smoothly. Facet disease, which is sometimes referred to as spinal osteoarthritis, is a degenerative condition that damages your facet joints.
When your facet joints work properly, they allow you to move without damaging the nerves and tissue in your spinal canal. Unfortunately, since our facet joints are worked every single day keeping us moving and standing straight, they can break down over time. All changes to your facet joints as a result of degeneration could be called facet disease.
Symptoms That Characterize Facet Disease
Facet disease can affect your entire spine. For some, it’s limited to the upper or cervical spine. For others, the mid or thoracic spine or the lower or lumbar spine is affected. Since facet disease can take many forms, there are a variety of causes, including age, obesity, lifestyle choices, as well as a genetic predisposition to having frail joints.
The number one cause a facet disease is age. As you get older, your joints start to break down under your own weight and in response to a repetitive motion. If you are dealing with facet disease, you may experience some of the following symptoms:
- Locking joints
- Back aching
- A curve in your spine
- Tenderness in your back
- Throbbing pain
- The sensation of bone rubbing on bone
With facet joint disease, the severity of your symptoms is a good indication of the severity of the damage you’ve experienced. Someone with mild facet joint disease may experience some tenderness and mild irritation. Conversely, if you are experiencing crepitus, a more advanced stage of facet joint disease, you could experience severe pain.
Facet Disease Treatment Options
Most degenerative spine diseases respond well to conservative forms of therapy. With facet joint disease, milder forms of the condition may respond to things like stretching, exercising, and over-the-counter medications to help you maintain mobility. If the condition has reached a more progressed stage, you may benefit from minimally invasive procedures.
If facet joint pain is robbing you of a quality life, we warmly invite you to visit our offices. Our professional and caring medical staff will work with you and help you identify the source of your pain and provide you minimally invasive treatment options. Some of the minimally invasive procedures we have successfully used in treating our patients include:
- Foraminotomy
- Laminotomy
- Laminectomy
- Radiofrequency nerve ablation
- Discectomies
How We Can Help
Facet joint pain should not define who you are. You deserve to be able to exercise, spend time with loved ones, work, and sleep without pain. Experience has shown us that a pain-free life is possible for many back pain sufferers. Contact us today.
Let us show you how you too can live life pain-free.
Minimally Invasive Spine Treatments
Facet Thermal Ablation
Laminotomy and Laminectomy
Radiofrequency Nerve Ablation
Foraminotomy
Microdiscectomy
At PPOA we accept Medicare and most insurance for Facet Joint Laser Procedures. To verify your coverage and potential out-of-pocket costs submit a Free Insurance Verification request today!