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Facet Hypertrophy Overview
When considering the onset of back problems it is important to understand the relationship that your spine has with the rest of your body. One of the duties of your spine is to give your body support and carry the majority of its weight. The vertebrae in the spine bear the majority of this weight, which is then spread to bones in the back portion of each vertebra called the facet joints.
The Facet joint is a synovial joint, which means that it is surround by a capsule of lubricating fluid. Facet joints helps to give you a free range of movement, including twisting, turning, bending and reaching upward. Like all other joints in the body, they are subject to developing arthritis.
Facet hypertrophy causes
Through the arthritic process, the body begins to add extra bone with the goal of making the facet joint stronger. Unfortunately this also in turn makes the joints larger. As we age and the years of wear and tear begin to add up, our spinal discs begin to flatten causing the edges of the vertebrae to come together. When the vertebrae come together in this fashion, it creates a bone against bone pressure that encourages bone growth at the edge of the vertebrae.
The majority of facet hypertrophy cases will occur in the lumbar area of the back. When the bony arthritic growth becomes large enough, it can bulge into the spinal canal, reducing its area and placing pressure on the spinal cord. Osteoporosis in the vertebral bones can cause them to collapse adding more pressure on the spinal cord.
Facet hypertrophy dangers
The dangers of severe facet hypertrophy begin when the pressure in the spinal canal builds up to the point that it is higher then your blood pressure. When this happens nerves in the area can begin to malfunction as they are starved of the blood and oxygen they require. If this condition is spotted and surgery is performed early enough, the patient should perform a full recovery. One or two percent of patients will not be operated on soon enough and depending on the extent, permanent damage to some degree will be present.
Facet hypertrophy symptoms
Quite often people suffering from facet hypertrophy will adapt their posture in a way that pain from pressure being placed on the nerve roots will be avoided. Suffers also will complain of pain in the back accompanied with stiffness (similar to other forms of arthritis).
Facet hypertrophy diagnosis
There are usually two stages to diagnosis of facet hypertrophy:
- Imaging - A CT scan or MRI scan can be performed to see if there are any signs of facet degeneration, and a bone scan can be performed to look for inflammation in the the surrounding area.
- Confirmation - Confirmation of the imaging scan is done with facet joint injections of local anesthetic or an anti-inflammatory. Once the injection is completed and the patient feels a relief in their pain level, facet hypertrophy can be confirmed.
Facet hypertrophy treatment
- Exercise
- Physical therapy
- Steroid injections
- Anti-inflammatory injections
- Analgesic injections
- Spine braces