The facets are located on the left
and right side of the back of each vertebra.
Facet syndrome means that your facet joint has become irritated and
inflamed. This can be caused by sprains,
strains, or joints that are not moving properly. People are more likely to
develop facet syndrome if they have suffered an injury, overuse their back, have
arthritis, or are overweight.
The symptoms of lumbar facet
syndrome are felt on one side of your low back and may radiate into your flank,
hip, and thigh. Symptoms of facet syndrome usually do not go past your knee. The
pain may come and go. Your pain may increase when you arch backwards or return
to an upright position after bending forward.
Many patients report relief when they sit or lie down.
Chiropractic adjustments help relieve lumbar facet syndrome by opening the joint spaces, restoring motion, and breaking up adhesion between the joints.
Flynn Chiropractic 2300 Hamilton Blvd Sioux City, IA 51104 (712) 224-2747
Sciatica is pain down the back of the leg that follows the
path of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. The pain can occur with or without lower back
pain and may travel from the buttock, down the back of the thigh and calf, and
into the foot.
Symptoms can be mild to severe and may include aching, burning, sharp, shooting, or dull pain, numbness or tingling. With increasing compression, people may have a loss of sensation or muscle strength. You may notice an increase of pain while coughing, sneezing, straining, and sitting. Symptoms can occur suddenly or gradually over time.
Sciatica is caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve. Common causes include herniated or bulging discs, degenerative discs, stenosis, piriformis syndrome, or spondylolisthesis.
Sciatica can be extremely painful and worrisome, but it is also treatable. Very few cases will require surgery. It can respond well to conservative treatments like chiropractic. In this office, I use a special adjustment, Cox Flexion Distraction, that lowers disc pressure and creates space for the irritated nerves. It has been shown to be more effective than an exercise program for relieving leg pain.1
An at home exercise that can help is nerve flossing. Irritated nerves are more sensitive to pressure and are wider than normal nerves due to swelling. This sciatic nerve flossing technique can help decrease pain and improve the mobility of the sciatic nerve. Flossing may release adhesions along the path of the nerve.
Do the flossing on the painful side. Do 10 repetitions or about 30 seconds. Start with your chin tucked to your chest and knee flexed. Then look up to the ceiling as you extend your leg. Then return to the starting position. The movements are the same for the side lying position. You may feel a stretch but you should not feel an increase in pain. Stop immediately if this causes an increase in your symptoms. If your sciatic nerve is very irritated, you may have to wait for the irritation to lessen before attempting this move.
Call the office if you need help and you are tired of letting sciatica stop you from doing the things you want to do.