Further measures | Physiotherapy for a facet syndrome in BWS

Further measures

There are various other measures that can help in the treatment of facet syndrome. These include the use of electrotherapy, the application of tape systems and heat applications. Outside of physiotherapy, the physician has the possibility to influence the treatment with injections.

A so-called hyaluronic acid is injected, which supports the synovial fluid and helps to rebuild the cartilage surface to a certain extent. In addition, pain is reduced and inflammatory reactions caused by uneven friction are curbed. Hyaluronic acid injections are often administered at regular intervals parallel to physiotherapeutic intervention.

The last resort in the treatment of arthrosis is surgery. It is used when the wear and tear has progressed too far, the pain is too severe and conventional therapy is unsuccessful. Even if it is only a minimal intervention, surgery always involves a risk, which is why this measure should not be taken too hastily. However, if there is no other way out, there is the possibility of obliterating pain-conducting nerve fibers, which takes away the patient’s eternal suffering from back pain. However, this only combats one symptom and not the disease.

Chances of recovery

As a rule, arthrosis cannot be completely cured, since joint cartilage is not supplied with blood and damage to the mirror-smooth surface is irreversible. However, the measures described can rebuild the cartilage to a certain point and prevent or slow down the progression of the disease. The facet syndrome describes a disease in the area of the spinal column joints.

The individual vertebrae, which together form the spinal column, are connected on the one hand to the vertebral bodies via the weight-bearing intervertebral discs and on the other hand to small projections on both sides via small joints – the facet joints. This allows a small amount of movement in each segment, which adds up to the great mobility of the spine. A syndrome is now a combination of various symptoms that indicate the occurrence of a disease.

In general, we speak of arthrosis when there is pathological or degenerative (age-related) cartilage wear on joints of our body. This can have many different causes, such as years of incorrect or overstressed joints, age-related degradation, poor posture, overweight, past injuries or operations on the joint, which have already caused minimal damage to the cartilage, but also an unhealthy lifestyle, such as lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Our facet syndrome is therefore now an arthrosis of the spine, a wear and tear of the small joints that connect the individual vertebrae with each other. The thoracic spine, i.e. the middle part of the spine, is usually less frequently affected than the lumbar spine (lower part), which bears the main load. The cause of facet syndrome in the thoracic spine is usually poor posture with hunchback formation, which places uneven strain on the joints over a long period of time.