The Common Facet Joint Syndrome Examinations that You are likely to Have

Joints play a major role in the individual’s body since they facilitate movement, stability, and flexibility. Since joints are engaged in most activities, they are likely to suffer from injuries. One of the common joint injuries is referred to as facet joint syndrome. This condition is usually a source of neck and back pain prompting most people to seek treatment. If you are suffering from facet joint syndrome Shrewsbury you should seek treatment before the condition worsens. The following are the common examinations of facet joint syndrome that the specialist is likely to conduct.

Palpation

The specialist usually palpates directly over the transverse processes and along the paravertebral regions since the facet joints are not entirely palpable. The specialist conducts this process to reproduce and localize any tenderness that could be occurring around the facet joint-mediated pain. This pain can sometimes be felt in the gluteal or posterior thigh.

Flexibility

The specialist can also examine your condition by checking your flexibility. In most instances, the pelvic musculature affects the individual’s lumbosacral spine mechanics. The specialist can trace an abnormal pelvic tilt or secondary hip rotation to the tight hamstrings by performing a facet joint pathology. The doctor can also find hip rotators and quadratus; even though most of these findings are nonspecific, they are evident among patients with back pain.

Range of Motion

When checking your condition, the specialist can check your range of motion. The doctor will carry it out through extension, flexion, rotation, and lateral bending. If you have facet joint-mediated low back pain, the pain will increase if you have rotation or hyperextension of the lumbar spine, which can be radiating or focal.

Muscle Strength

When performing these examinations, most specialists conduct muscle testing. During this process, the specialist performs muscle testing to determine whether there is a weakness and if this weakness distribution has been due to a single root, multiple roots, or caused by peripheral or plexus. Even though most muscle testing results appear normal to people with facet joint pathology, having subtle pelvic girdle muscle weakness could lead to pelvic tilt abnormalities. The slight weakness could be identified through the pelvic, trunk, or lower-extremity extension asymmetry.

Inspection

In some instances, the specialist can instruct for an inspection. The inspection will entail the evaluation of asymmetry, muscle atrophy, paraspinal muscle fullness, increase or decrease of the lumbar lordosis, or posture asymmetry. Most people having chronic facet syndrome have flattening lumbar lordotic curves and lateral or rotation bending at the thoracolumbar or sacroiliac joint area.

Muscle Stretch Reflexes

Sometimes the specialists examine the person’s muscle stretch reflexes. Patients having facet joint-mediated LBP have normal muscle stretch reflexes. Besides, they do not have radicular findings unless they have nerve root impingement from a synovial cyst or bony overgrowth. The specialist will perform side-to-side asymmetry to check for a possible nerve-root impingement.

Since joints are one of the most important organs in the body, suffering from joint injuries will negatively affect the quality of the individual’s life by a huge margin. For instance, a person may fail to walk or support themselves. Even though the condition is serious, it is treatable through various measures. Since there are different treatment options, you should visit a specialist to choose the best treatment. This process will help you to start enjoying your quality life again.

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