Duration
A duration of the persistence of a facet syndrome cannot be determined across the board. The disease is the expression of wear-related damage to the joints. This wear and tear cannot be reversed.
If no measures are taken to strengthen the musculature and thus relieve the lumbar spine, no improvement of the symptoms can be expected. Building and strengthening the muscles requires regular training over several weeks. Weight loss also requires endurance and a change in lifestyle. If these measures are carried out consistently, the symptoms of facet syndrome can improve after several weeks. An operation in which the affected nerve is severed can lead to prompt pain relief.
Prognosis
The prognosis, like the duration, cannot be generalized. It depends on the damage to the joints and the external conditions. In this case, however, it is also true that patients who seek a causal rather than a symptomatic therapy have a better prognosis. Even if sclerotherapy achieves the most efficient result, this does not exclude damage to other joints and the recurrence of symptoms. Therefore, weight reduction as well as strengthening of the musculature should always be aimed at.
How can you distinguish a facet syndrome from an ISG syndrome?
The sacroiliac joint is the joint that connects the spine and pelvis. In ISG syndrome, pain occurs in this area. Frequently, patients suffer from pain attacks during certain movements such as rotating or bending.
An increase in pain with increasing load can also occur. As in the facet syndrome, the pain can radiate into the buttocks and legs, for example. It can therefore be difficult to differentiate between the two syndromes, as they also have the same cause and can occur together.
However, the pain is localized differently, which is noticeable, for example, by a painful pressure in different areas of the spine. The physician is also able to diagnose a blockage of the ISG, in which the joint-forming bones have shifted against each other, during the physical examination. A further indication of ISG syndrome can also be the sudden onset of the symptoms, as it is possible that the bones that form the ISG suddenly dislocate during a certain movement.
