In a human body, the joints that connect two adjacent vertebrae are known as Facet joints. These joints are always in motion and therefore suffer from years of wear and tear at one point of time. When these joints degenerate due to any kind of repetitive stresses and strains over time; these results in Facet Joint Disease. Now let's see a few common reasons of causing Facet Joint Disease.

The body and lifestyle of every person differ from each other and therefore causes of Facet joint disease also varies. But, commonly when the cartilage on the facet joint breaks down or thins down, it causes pain. A few to name other reasons of facet joint disease include aging, accidents, repetitive trauma, poor posture, injuries, or work-related activities. Facet Joint Disease can also be genetic. Gender and excess weight are other reasons. An important thing to note down here is that men are more susceptible to develop facet joint disease when they are in an age group of around 45. Women are more likely to develop it after menopause.

Symptoms of Facet Joint Disease

The symptoms of Facet joint disease are not regular. These can be observed occasionally. Generally these come with episodes as frequently as a few times a month. Patients might feel tenderness and inflammation in the affected joint(s). Their cervical spine also loses flexibility that hinders the movement in the neck. While leaning backward, you might feel pain in the affected area. However, this pain gets disappear or slows down while bending forward. Patients suffering from Facet Joint Pain experience severe pain in the neck and this spread out further into the shoulders or upper arm. Sometimes your forearm and fingers can also get affected.

If Facet Joint pain does not go in sometime, it is very crucial to consult a specialized doctor for the Facet Joint Pain Treatment. Otherwise, your spine might lose movement forever turning you into paralysis. As a basic prevention, you should always ensure to follow regular exercise routine and maintain a good posture. If your weight is in control, your spine will always remain healthy.

Talking in particular about Facet Joint Stabilization, with increasing number of patients suffering from Facet Joint Disease, more of specialized medical institutions have come up to take care of them. For the stabilization procedure, at each of the facet joints, "small faces" are located between and behind the adjacent vertebrae. When each one of these joints allows a small amount of normal movement, there is a movement in the entire area. And it is with the combined effort that the facet joints are allowed to move at the full spinal range. This only helps you to move forward (flexion), sideways (side flexion), backwards (extension) and even rotate.