The development of facet disease, or spinal arthritis, later in your life may be partially caused by years of poor arch support for your feet. Occasionally going barefoot or wearing sandals usually won’t pose a problem, but when the feet are not properly supported for extended periods of time, a series of spinal problems that are described below can accumulate and potentially contribute to the development of facet disease.

Spinal pain and your feet

Your feet have the job of supporting your entire body weight when you stand. Supporting the arch, or the natural curve at the bottom of each foot, is extremely important, as the arches help us maintain proper posture. If the arches fall or are flattened over time, the ankles could become hyperpronated, or roll inward. Hyperpronation can set off a chain reaction up the body, causing the legs, hips and spine to abnormally rotate.

The body’s center of gravity shifts as a result, adding undue stress to the muscles, ligaments and joints. Neck and back pain may also develop at this point. The facet joints of the spine must then try to perform their flexibility duties in abnormal positions. Facet disease may arise earlier in life than it normally would have, as the increased wear can lead to the faster breakdown of the joint cartilage and eventual bone friction. This can cause inflammation, tenderness, stiffness and pain to arise in the spine.

Preventing facet disease

You may not be able to completely prevent facet disease, but you can take steps to avoid an early onset of the condition. You can begin by maintaining proper posture and arch support for your feet, performing exercises to strengthen core muscles and living a healthy lifestyle. If poor arch support over the years has contributed to your facet joint degeneration and spine pain, your doctor may suggest conservative treatments such as physical therapy and pain medication.

In the event that conservative methods fail to provide adequate relief after several weeks or months, you should consider the minimally invasive procedures offered at USA Spine Care. These procedures have helped more than 75,000 patients find lasting relief from chronic neck and back pain. To learn more about what sets us apart as the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery, contact us today.

In order to relieve facet disease, our board-certified surgeons+ are able to perform a facet thermal ablation in combination with a minimally invasive decompression procedure by using a small incision to clean the joint and deaden the local nerve, in order to relieve the pain and discomfort at the facet joint. To find out if you are a candidate for our outpatient surgery, reach out to our dedicated team today and ask for a free MRI review.*