Symptoms
The complaints that can be caused by a facet syndrome are manifold and not very characteristic. This makes the diagnosis of a facet syndrome extremely difficult. Since it is a degenerative disease, other diseases, for example of the intervertebral discs, muscles or ligaments, usually play a role in the pain process.
In contrast to the symptoms of a herniated disc, which occurs at the same position and causes the same reproducible symptoms in different people (e.g. reflex loss, paralysis, sensory disturbances), a facet syndrome, even if it involves the same section of the spine, can cause different signs (symptoms) in different people. Nevertheless, there are some characteristic symptoms that suggest the presence of a facet syndrome. These include: All of the above mentioned symptoms are more or less typical and may or may not occur in facet syndrome.
Some of these symptoms can also be quite prominent.
- Deep-seated back pain (lumbago), which increases especially during stress and in the course of the day and improves when lying down. Lumbago is usually an acute event based on a wear-related change in the spine.
- Dull pain that is difficult to describe
- Movement restriction of the lumbar spine (morning stiffness).
- Back pain radiating into the buttocks, groin and/or legs, whereby the pain rarely radiates beyond the knee joint region (pseudo-radicular radiation) and cannot be attributed to a nerve root (root syndrome; radicular radiation)
- Back pain stronger than leg pain (in contrast to herniated disc).
- Pain intensification in case of reclination (back bending) of the trunk.
- Suspension pain above the vertebral joints.
- Back pain when lifting the stretched leg while lying down.
- Sensory disturbances (reduced sensation = hypaesthesia) or paraesthesia of the legs can occur (e.g. burning, formication, feeling cold), but are rather rare.
- Muscle Tensions
