Maintaining optimal flexibility of the spine is a crucial aspect of being able to perform our daily activities without pain. The health of our facet joints dictates this flexibility. Lining the backside of our spine, our facet joints enable bending, twisting, and flexing the torso. Facet joints are the cartilage-lined junctures where our vertebrae meet. This cartilage provides much needed cushioning for our joints. And, it prevents our bones from grinding against one another during our everyday movements.

Sometimes—for a variety of reasons—these facet joints can degenerate, producing anywhere from mild to excruciating pain. Facet joint degeneration occurs most commonly as a complication of osteoarthritis, or global joint deterioration. As the moist cartilage that coats our facet joints breaks down, our vertebrae are left exposed to the forces of adjacent bones. Without this protective layer, our joints become painfully inflamed and a number of adverse changes can occur.

For instance, our vertebrae may begin to overproduce bone as a compensatory mechanism to protect our joints from this loss of cartilage. These outcroppings of bone—known as bone spurs—often have the unintended side effect of pinching spinal nerves, which radiate outward from the spinal cord and into our extremities. A pinched nerve generates the characteristic symptoms of tingling, numbness, and pain that define facet joint disorder.

Weakened facet joints can also cause spondylolisthesis, or vertebral slippage. Because our facet joints enable bending, flexing, and twisting the spine, a weakened facet joint cannot regulate movements into a “safe” range of motion. In this manner, it becomes easier to hyperextend or hyperflex the back—leading to spinal injuries or slipped vertebrae (spondylolisthesis).

Other common causes of facet joint pain include: congenital deformation of the vertebrae, degenerative disc disease, repetitive motion, or injury.