Causes
Similar to other joints of the body (e.g. the knee), age-related wear and tear can also occur in the facet joints. This process is also known as spinal osteoarthritis and manifests itself by the protective joint cartilage wearing away and the bones beginning to rub against each other, which can lead to very painful conditions. The facet joints usually only have to bear a low pressure load, but incorrect posture and incorrect loading can lead to a significant increase in pressure and thus also in joint wear and tear.
Very often, diseases of the intervertebral disc lead to an enormous increase in the pressure load on the facet joints. If the intervertebral disc space is compressed, e.g. by a herniated disc, by wear and tear of the discs or by surgical removal of the discs, even a few millimeters of difference in height will result in a strong increase in pressure in the area of the facet joints. This process is also aggravated by overweight, osteoporosis (bone loss) and insufficient support and back muscles.
Particularly severe pain can be caused by cysts or so-called ganglions (growth of connective tissue near the facet joints).Especially in women, such ganglia occur in areas of high stress such as the lumbar spine (lumbar facet syndrome). A narrowing of the bony canal through which the spinal cord runs, a so-called spinal canal stenosis, is also one of the causes of facet syndrome. This can lead to painful nerve entrapment and direct joint damage.
In addition, pain in the area of the facet joints can be caused by vertebral blockages or instabilities of the spine. Reflector muscle tension, which is often caused by overloading or incorrect loading, is another possible cause of pain. The rarer causes of facet syndrome include rare tumors or metastases as well as malformations of the spine that have existed since birth. Certain rheumatic diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis can also cause pain in the facet joints.
