We always advise that all patients must learn and understand the actual facet joint facts before seeking treatment for any symptomatic condition that has been diagnosed as facet syndrome. This is because the rate of misdiagnoses is high and a large percentage of patients undergo various forms of care, including surgical intervention, without finding any measurable or lasting relief. If the facet joints have not been correctly identified as the true causes of pain, then these disappointing outcomes are logical.
Facts should describe objective truths that can not be disputable now or ever. However, since medical science is highly subjective and is in a constant state of revision, the word FACT is often the subject of much controversy. What was fact yesterday might be disputed today. Additionally, what is fact to one care provider might still be disputed by another, depending on knowledge, experience and ideology. Therefore, we tend to err on the side of caution when discussing the facts of facet joint syndrome.
This fascinating resource section provides an encyclopedia of articles that help to solidify the actual facts of facet joint pain, while simultaneously dispelling the myths of the condition that continue to drive much of the treatment industry today. If you are seeking to separate fact from fiction when it comes to facet joint syndrome, you have come to the right expert source.
Clarification of Facet Joint Facts
Many years ago, structural defects were often viewed as being inconsequential and often unrelated to the existence of pain. Advanced medical imaging did not exist, but forensic science surely did. Autopsy results and postmortem discoveries from countless corpses showed little correlation between pain experienced during life and structural abnormalities discovered after death.
When modern medical imaging began to see common use, this enlightened medical philosophy went out of style and the ancient idea of Cartesian philosophy came back into vogue. The body could now be imaged in vivid detail using x-rays, CT scan and MRI technologies so that structural imperfections could be documented. However, it was not the invention of these technologies that caused the shift in medical ideology. Instead, it was the growth of medicine as a business, rather than as an objective, humanitarian science. If this change had not occurred, doctors would have continued to view most structural irregularities as being innocent, as long as they did not demonstrate causation of a pathological process, such as neurological compression or mechanical dysfunction. Remember, medical students have always learned a proven lesson that tells “atypical structure does not accurately predict pain”.
However, the business side of medicine took over and doctors seemed to shed their logic in favor of their financial motivations. This single factor is what led to the epidemic misdiagnosis of a multitude of health issues, including facet joint syndrome. We are proud to be critical of the healthcare industry and feel the entire system could use a dramatic revision, especially in the way conditions are diagnosed and subsequently treated. We have written on this topic hundreds of times throughout the various websites of The Cure Back Pain Network and will also use this site to propagate the truths that patients need to know to protect themselves from iatrogenesis, negligence and financial exploitation by a greedy and sometimes soulless medical juggernaut.
Discussions on Spinal Joint Facts
The following essays are all meant to help cement the truths of facet syndrome in the scientific record. These dissertations are based on decades of research and clinical practice from some of the best minds in the dorsalgia treatment sector, including our own editorial board members:
Facet joint pain sitting and facet joint pain standing are two of the most common activity-related symptomatic triggers. Learn why these innocuous activities generate pain in so many patients.
Facet joint pain walking is usually experienced in the lower lumbar spine and is a rather atypical symptom as a unique expression, but more common when patients demonstrate pain during multiple additional activities besides walking.
Facet joint pain bending is perhaps the most common of all facet joint symptomologies. Flexion of the spine is one of the main triggers for facet pain, regardless of the location of the affected joint(s). Neck flexion facet joint pain is one of the usual expressions of cervical facet syndrome. Likewise, neck extension facet joint pain also affects many patients and can prevent a full range of head movement.
Facet joint pain sleeping is rather rare, but can affect some patients who recline to rest in particular positions. Facet joint pain lying down is usually a position-related occurrence, rather than a result of a poor-sleep surface. Our essays provide postural help for those who need it most.
Facet syndrome disability is the worst consequence of chronic zygapophyseal symptoms. Disability can usually be successfully treated surgically to restore function.
Facet joint compressing a nerve can describe impingement on the tiny nerves that innervate the joint itself or encroachment on the nearby spinal nerve root in the foraminal space adjacent to a hypertrophic apophyseal joint.
Facet joint information should always be obtained from a reliable expert source. Remember, many sources of information qualify as marketing, rather than fact. If a doctor or company is trying to sell you a specific product or service, be wary of the quality and objectivity of the information being presented. The Cure Back Pain Network does not endorse any particular product or service and will never allow financial motivations to supersede our propagation of the actual facts of back and neck pain syndromes.
Facet joint pain advice should also be gathered from enlightened and knowledgeable sources, such as doctors and patient advocacy organizations. The Cure Back Pain Network consists of some of the best care providers on the planet and has provided completely free patient community, advocacy and education for more than a decade.
Facet joint research provides some food for thought about the current state of the facet syndrome therapy industry.
Facet joint problems fall into several categories. We explain all the possible pathologies that may affect the spinal zygapophyseal joints.
Facet joint pain in athletes is often seen by clinicians. Athletes tend to endure escalated stress on the spinal joints, with some fitness pastimes being worse than others.
Elderly facet joint pain provides very interesting facts about zygapophyseal joint pain. Although degeneration of the apophyseal joints is the worst in elderly patients, diagnosed facet syndrome is actually quite rare in seniors.
Check out our fast and easy facet joint FAQ section to get the answers you need to the questions asked the most often.
Overview of Facet Joint Facts
We never allow economic motivations to get in the way to telling you the truth about the back and neck pain therapy industry. We will never accept advertising dollars to alter our opinion or provide any endorsement for a product or service. If we do make recommendations, it is because that product or service has proven itself objectively to be effective, safe and advantageous over its competition. However, we will always detail the potential risks and limitations of any product or treatment, as well.
You can trust us to advocate on your behalf and an important part of this mission is our patient education endeavors. We have been teaching for years that the single most important thing you can do to attain and maintain wellness is to be actively involved in your healthcare. In essence, you must become knowledgeable about all the health-related subjects that affect you and your life. If you have been suffering with facet joint pain, this website will help you to separate fact from fiction and guide you towards effectual care with the least degree of risk.
For more information about many of the problems inherent to being a back or neck pain patient, please continue on to read our section covering facet syndrome diagnosis.
Facet Joint Pain > Facet Joint Facts
