Facet syndrome is a condition of the spine that affects the facet joints, which typically allows the bone surfaces to glide against each other while the facet moves without disturbance. However, when the cartilage wears away, facet syndrome develops. As a result, debilitating pain around the facet joint, bone-on-bone contact and bone spurs develop from nerve compression, causing weakness, numbness and tingling in the extremities. If you are suffering from this condition, read the following article to learn about the alternative, conservative and surgical treatments available for relief.

Alternative facet syndrome treatments

To treat facet syndrome symptoms, naturopathic medicine may be used as an alternative form of medication. Naturopathy describes a practice of natural medication that promotes self-healing. For instance, the following treatments may be recommended:

• Homeopathic medicine
• Dietary changes
• Acupuncture
• Massage therapy
• Reflexology
• Herbal supplements

Naturopathic medicine has not found mainstream acceptance by the medical community, so be sure to consult your doctor prior to attempting this form of facet syndrome treatment.

Conservative facet syndrome treatments

In addition to alternative therapy, conservative facet syndrome treatment may also be helpful in providing you with relief from your condition. This may include medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories such as Motrin or Aleve, steroidal anti-inflammatories such as Medrol or prednisone, anti-spasm medications and both narcotic and non-narcotic pain medication. Physical therapy, chiropractic care and epidural steroid injections may also be helpful in relieving your symptoms.

Surgical facet syndrome treatments

If you do not experience lasting relief after several weeks or months of alternative or conservative therapy, then surgical intervention may become necessary to alleviate your pain and discomfort. If this is the case for you, contact USA Spine Care to learn about how our procedures offer a safer and effective alternative to traditional open spine surgery.

Through the use of a less than 1-inch incision that is muscle sparing, our board-certified surgeons+ are able to use a facet thermal ablation procedure in conjunction with our minimally invasive decompression surgery in order to relieve spinal cord or nerve compression. Depending on the severity of your condition, a stabilization procedure may also be performed to replace the damaged disc in the spine.

USA Spine Care is the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery and has helped more than 75,000 patients find relief from chronic neck or back pain. To determine if you are a potential candidate for our facet syndrome treatment, reach out to our dedicated team today and ask for a free MRI review.* We can help you recapture your quality of life from this debilitating condition.

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