Contrary to what you may think, a facet disease diagnosis will not relegate you to a lifetime of bed rest. In fact, your doctor will likely tell you that remaining active and taking part in a variety of low-impact exercises is an integral part of the facet disease treatment process. He or she will also work with you to create a treatment plan suited to your unique needs, which may include hot/cold compresses, anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, behavior modification, and gentle stretching.

You should be patient as you begin a treatment regimen after receiving a facet disease diagnosis, as it can take some degree of trial and error for you to find the right combination of treatments. Also, be aware that, while treatments will likely allow you to manage your discomfort non-surgically, facet disease is a degenerative condition that will not simply disappear with a single remedy. Instead, treatment will be focused on mitigating pain, slowing the degenerative process, and maintaining a good quality of life.

Remaining Active with Facet Disease

At first, it may seem counterintuitive to be active if you’re suffering from joint degeneration. Wouldn’t more stress on the joints only do more harm? Theoretically, yes. However, the proper combination of exercises can actually strengthen the muscles surrounding the joints and keep nearby ligaments flexible, thus allowing these parts of the spine to sustain more stress so that the joints don’t have to.

Changing your activity level may be the largest lifestyle adjustment you’ll have to make after receiving a facet disease diagnosis. Either you’re extremely active and may need to scale back on your participation in high-impact exercises and contact sports, or you may be relatively inactive and will need to begin an exercise regimen to strengthen your muscles and maintain a healthy bodyweight. Either way, it’s important to stay in close contact with your doctor to avoid any injuries or further damage to the facet joints of the spine.

How Runners Can Manage Facet Disease

Jogging is one of the most common exercises that people of all ages take part in. Daily joggers find that it is such an ingrained part of their routine that stopping or modifying this aspect of their lives seems extremely unnatural and uprooting. Jogging is a very high-impact activity, however, and the stress of your feet hitting the pavement with so much force is actually transferred all the way up your body, to the joints of your knees, hips, and spine. Luckily, there are other forms of exercise that offer similar cardiovascular benefits while being gentler on your spine. Elliptical training, cross-country skiing, hiking, swimming, power walking, stair workouts, and recumbent stationary cycling may all be viable options.

Medications for Facet Disease Symptoms

Your doctor may recommend pain medication to relieve joint discomfort while you exercise. Over-the-counter analgesics, such as acetaminophen, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen, may be effective at relieving symptoms in your back and neck. Your doctor may also decide to prescribe certain opioids or narcotics if your pain is severe and debilitating.

Author Bio: Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute specializes in safe and effective outpatient procedures for the treatment of facet disease and several other spinal conditions.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: Facet disease