Lower back pain? It may be originating in your facet joints.
Lower Back Pain:
Our vertebra have 2 facet joints sitting at the back of our spines which provide guidance for how our spines move. Facets joints are orientated in different planes to provide different movement. Our lumbar spine (lower back) has facet joints orientated in the sagittal plane which allows for forward and backward bending.
Unfortunately our facet joints like all joint of the body are prone to degenerative change (Osteoarthritis). In the upright position the curves of our spine allow for gravity to be distributed as evenly as possible. Unfortunately posture and trauma can cause undue stress on our facets joints with the most common areas to develop Osteoarthritis of the facet joints are the lower back and lower cervical spine.
Article:
The following article has great information on osteoarthritis of the spine. “Osteoarthritis of the Spine”
It has been reported most people in their lifetime with experience a bout of lower back pain which could be from a variety of sources including the facet joints, discs and muscles. It is important to know your options for treatment and preventative measures.
Treatment:
It is commonly known that Osteopaths treat spinal pain. Osteopaths look at the spine as a 3D structure with all its attachments to provide a clear and concise model of treatment. Osteopaths will address lifestyle issues which may be causing muscle imbalance, altered biomechanics and poor intersegmental fact joint motion. Treatment usually consists of Osteopathic Manual Therapy to improve spinal biomechanics. At OsteopathyOne we also have Exercise Physiologists who can assess and write a detailed maintenance program to assist with pain management. On average most patients will require a short series of treatments to resolve or improve facet joint pain.
There are other forms of treatment which should be discussed with your healthcare professional.
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Dr Dean Wright (BAppScPhysEd, BClinSc, BOsteo)
Osteopath