Back and neck pain from facet hypertrophy can slowly take over your life, making routine movements like turning your head or bending a painful struggle.
At iOSS Medical, we’re here to help you understand what’s happening and offer effective, non-surgical facet hypertrophy treatments that reduce discomfort and restore your quality of life. With personalized care focused on your needs, we guide you toward lasting relief.
Facet Hypertrophy: What It Is and Why It Happens
Facet hypertrophy refers to the enlargement or overgrowth of the facet joints, which are small joints located between the vertebrae in your spine. They help stabilize your spine and allow for smooth movement.
Wear and tear, injury, or degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis can cause the cartilage within the facet joints to break down. In response, the body may produce extra bone tissue, leading to facet hypertrophy.
This enlargement can narrow the space around the nerves in your spine, causing irritation or compression.
Common symptoms include:
Persistent neck or back pain
- Stiffness and reduced range of motion
- Pain that worsens with twisting or bending
- Radiating pain into the shoulders, arms, or legs
While facet hypertrophy is a chronic condition, its symptoms can be effectively managed. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can greatly reduce pain without the need for surgery.
How Specialists Identify Facet Hypertrophy
At iOSS Medical, our approach to diagnosing facet hypertrophy combines your medical history, a thorough physical examination, and advanced imaging techniques. We look for specific signs such as localized tenderness, reduced spinal flexibility, and pain patterns consistent with facet joint involvement.
Imaging studies provide detailed views of the facet joints, revealing any enlargement, degeneration, or nerve compression. Diagnostic tools help us confirm the presence of facet hypertrophy and rule out other potential causes of your symptoms.
Based on our findings, we develop a personalized treatment plan focused on non-surgical options to ease pain and restore function.
Non-Surgical Treatments for Facet Hypertrophy
Easing the discomfort of facet hypertrophy means targeting the root causes—calming inflammation, interrupting pain signals, and restoring your spine’s natural movement.
Our iOSS Medical experts customize non-surgical treatments that address your unique symptoms and lifestyle:
Facet Joint Injections
Facet injections deliver a combination of local anesthetic and corticosteroids directly into the affected facet joints. The local anesthetic provides immediate pain relief by numbing the joint, while the corticosteroid reduces inflammation over time.
The procedure helps decrease pain and stiffness, allowing for improved mobility and participation in physical therapy or daily activities.
Radiofrequency Ablation of the Facet Joints
For longer-lasting relief, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective option.
The technique uses radiofrequency energy to heat and selectively disrupt the nerve fibers that carry pain signals from the facet joints to the brain. By interrupting these signals, RFA can significantly reduce pain for several months or longer.
The procedure is minimally invasive and performed on an outpatient basis.
Physical Therapy and Exercise
Customized physical therapy programs focus on strengthening the muscles supporting your spine, improving flexibility, and reducing joint stress. Exercise helps improve posture, ease stiffness, and decrease pain.
Anti-Inflammatory Medications
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or other medications may be prescribed to reduce inflammation and relieve pain during flare-ups.
Activity Modification and Lifestyle Changes
Learning to avoid movements or activities that worsen symptoms, combined with ergonomic adjustments (like proper seating or sleeping positions), can help protect the spine and reduce discomfort.
Start Your Pain Relief Journey with Facet Hypertrophy Treatment
If you are struggling with pain caused by facet hypertrophy or related spinal arthropathy, iOSS Medical can help. Our experienced team offers comprehensive, non-surgical treatments designed to target your pain safely and effectively.
Don’t let pain hold you back — contact us now to explore your treatment options.