If you’ve recently been diagnosed with facet disease, you likely have a lot of questions about what this diagnosis means and how it may affect your daily life. Facet disease, also called facet arthritis, is a spinal condition that typically occurs as a natural part of the aging process. The facet joints, which are made up of adjacent vertebrae, can wear down over time and cause localized pain, joint stiffness, reduced range of motion and other symptoms.

What to expect after a facet disease diagnosis

After providing a diagnosis, your physician will likely recommend some nonsurgical treatment options that may help alleviate your symptoms. As you get started with these conservative treatments, here are three things you can expect:

1. Finding the right treatment may take time. There are many conservative treatment options available that can help alleviate symptoms of facet disease. These include pain and anti-inflammatory medications, hot and cold compresses, epidural injections, physical therapy and low-impact exercises. Finding the treatment or combination of treatments that’s right for you may take some trial and error over the course of several weeks or months.
2. Certain physical activities should be avoided. Certain activities, such as playing high-impact sports, lifting heavy objects or frequent twisting motions, will likely increase the symptoms of facet disease and can worsen your condition over time. Any activity that you notice causing pain should be limited as much as possible.
3. You may need to make some lifestyle adjustments. If you frequently take long car rides or sit at an office all day, you may need to schedule frequent breaks to get up and stretch. Other changes may include improving posture, limiting alcohol and tobacco use and losing weight. These changes can help reduce the amount of stress on the spine and provide some symptom relief.

Minimally invasive surgery at USA Spine Care

In many cases, a combination of conservative treatment options and a few lifestyle modifications will provide patients with the relief they’re looking for. However, in more severe cases of facet disease, surgery may need to be considered. At USA Spine Care, our surgeons specialize in minimally invasive spine surgery procedures to treat a wide range of spinal conditions, including facet disease. If you’d like to find out if you’re a candidate for one of our outpatient procedures, contact USA Spine Care today.

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