Degenerative joint disease of the spine, also known as spinal osteoarthritis, is a condition in which cartilage wears away at the joints through years of use. When this condition affects the facet joints in the spinal column, it can cause pain and stiffness in the back. Although there is no way to repair the damage to the joints, there are many different treatment options available that can help reduce symptoms of degenerative joint disease.

Common first steps to degenerative joint disease treatment

After confirming a diagnosis, your physician will likely recommend several conservative treatment options that you can try. These include:

• Taking anti-inflammatory pain medications
• Resting for short periods of time
• Using hot and cold compresses
• Working with a physical therapist to learn beneficial stretching techniques
• Doing low-impact exercises such as walking or water aerobics

It may take some time to find the options that work best for you. However, a very large number of individuals do find that a combination of a few of these options can help manage the symptoms of degenerative joint disease and allow them to get back to their daily activities.

Surgical degenerative joint disease treatment

If conservative options do not provide sufficient symptom relief after several weeks or months, the next option a physician will recommend is typically surgery. This type of degenerative joint disease treatment aims to address the underlying cause of the symptoms and can be performed as a traditional open back surgery or as a minimally invasive spine procedure.

At USA Spine Care, our surgeons specialize in minimally invasive spine surgery, as they require less than a 1-inch incision, are muscle sparing and therefore typically have a shorter recovery time than traditional open surgery.^{^} If you are considering surgery to treat degenerative joint disease or another spinal condition, contact USA Spine Care today. We can provide you with a no-cost MRI review* to help determine if you’re a candidatefor one of our procedures.

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