A facet disease diagnosis should by no means make you feel as if you’ll be relegated to the sidelines of life. On the contrary, the majority of people with this degenerative spinal joint condition can usually manage their symptoms with a regimen of conservative treatments and still lead active lives. After you receive a diagnosis, it may be a good idea to go home, digest the news, and schedule a follow-up appointment with your doctor to discuss treatment. This will give you time to conduct some research on the condition and prepare questions for your doctor. It may also be a good idea to outline your activities on a day-to-day basis and ask the doctor if anything in your regular routine should be avoided or modified.

Making Lifestyle Adjustments

Many people who receive a facet disease diagnosis only need to make minor adjustments to their daily schedule of activities, in addition to consistently adhering to a conservative treatment regimen. Ask your doctor about making the following modifications:

– Work – Consider how active you are at work and make sure your spine has the proper support. If you sit for the majority of each day, think about switching to an ergonomic chair with lumbar support and a wide mesh back. If your job requires you to do be on your feet all day, a supportive brace and orthopedic shoes may prove helpful.

– Sleep – Try to get eight hours of sleep each night so your back and neck have the time they need to relax and rejuvenate. A medium-firm mattress and a contoured pillow with cervical support can also help your spine stay in its neutral S-shaped position. If symptoms from your condition are preventing you from getting a restful night’s sleep, ask your doctor about non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or non-habit-forming sleep aids or pain medications that you might be able to try.

– Exercise – Maintaining strong muscles, range-of-motion in the joints, and a healthy body weight are important parts of the treatment process. For this reason, exercise may be the aspect of your life that requires the most adjustment, either because you’re currently extremely active and you may need to switch to lower impact activities, or because you’re inactive and need to begin an exercise routine for the first time. Talk to your doctor about the possibility of trying more gentle activities like restorative yoga, walking, hiking, swimming, recumbent stationary cycling, or strength training with resistance bands.

Forming a Support System

While many people don’t like to talk about their health conditions with others, it may be a good idea to inform the people close to you about your facet disease diagnosis. This is simply a way for you to form a support system of people you can talk to so that you don’t feel alone. Informing others also may help those around you to understand why you may not feel well sometimes or be able to participate in the activities you used to. You may even find that someone you know is dealing with the same condition and can offer treatment tips and advice. Informing any fitness professionals or providers of alternative medicine that you work with, such as personal trainers, yoga instructors, or masseurs, is also a good idea so that they know you should not be overexerting your spine.

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.

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 facet disease and other spinal conditions. http://www.laserspineinstitute.com/back_problems/facet_disease/

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