Lumbar Facet Joint Injury
What is it?
Low back pain is a very common pain syndrome affecting up to 80% of people at some point during their life. 85% of people who present with back pain do not have a specific pathology in anatomy or anything wrong detected on radiology. If low back pain is not managed in the early stages it can become chronic low back pain.
Mechanism of Injury
Low back pain can be caused by many reasons. Sometimes it can be caused by trauma, such as a car accident or a fall, other times there doesn’t appear to be a cause and the pain comes on suddenly or gradually. Quite commonly, many people suffer from low back pain and can be associated with prolonged sitting and standing due to poor postures. Low back pain can cause the stabilising muscles that support and protect the spine to become weakened.
Common Management Techniques
Physiotherapy uses a combination of massage, joint mobilisations, stretches and strengthening exercises.
You can do the following things at home:
Heat packs and massage
Analgesic balm ie. Voltaren, Fisiocrem
Sleeping and pillows. Avoid sleeping on too many pillows. Pillows should support the head without bending the neck to an angle.
Tailored Physiotherapy prescribed exercise
Good posture
Pain Relief or anti-inflammatories
In some circumstances, you may require a steroid Injection or possibly surgery for people that have long term issues.
Prognosis
In most cases, lumbar facet pain responds well to conservative treatment that includes medication and Physiotherapy.
Low back pain, due to its many causes is difficult to determine how well you will respond to treatment and rehabilitation. It is important that all the biomechanical factors that are contributing to the disorder are addressed and considered and this may include other joints such as the hip and ankle. For some people a course of Physiotherapy for a few weeks may be suitable, for others it may be ongoing rehabilitation. It is best to speak to your treating Physiotherapist or doctor about your condition and how it is likely to respond as each person is an individual with different factors that need to be addressed.
The Physiotherapists at Palms Physiotherapy are skilled in treating back ailments and can effectively assist with pain relief and rapid recovery.