Spinal pathologies

Lumbar Facet Syndrome

Lumbar facet syndrome is one of the most frequent causes of chronic lower back pain and originates in the facet joints or zygapophyseal joints of the lumbar spine.

These small joints, located at the back of the lumbar vertebrae, play an essential role in the stability, mobility, and biomechanics of the spine. Degenerative, inflammatory, or mechanical overload processes can cause irritation and wear and tear, becoming a significant source of persistent lower back pain.

Lumbar facet joint pain can significantly affect a patient’s mobility, functional capacity, and quality of life.

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What are the most frequent causes?

The lumbar facet joints can progressively deteriorate due to multiple factors, including:

Lumbar osteoarthritis
Associated disc degeneration
lumbar biomechanical overload
Vertebral instability
Spondylolisthesis
Postural alterations
Lumbar hyperlordosis
Repetitive trauma or microtrauma
Age-related degenerative changes

In many patients, facet syndrome coexists with degenerative disc disease and other lumbar degenerative processes.

What are the most common symptoms?

Lumbar facet syndrome usually manifests as:

Chronic lower back pain
Rigidity and limited mobility
Pain that increases when standing or walking
Pain when extending or rotating the lumbar spine
Lumbar muscle contracture
Pain radiating to the buttocks or thighs
Feeling of blockage or overload in the lower back

The pain usually improves partially with rest or lumbar flexion.

Unlike sciatica, facet syndrome does not usually produce significant nerve compression towards the legs, although both pathologies can coexist.

Specialized diagnosis

Diagnosis requires adequate clinical and radiological correlation to identify the joints responsible for the pain.

Treatment of lumbar facet syndrome

The treatment will depend on the degree of joint degeneration and the clinical characteristics of each patient.

At VERTEBRA SpinePain & Regenerative SURGERY CENTERS we provide a comprehensive and personalized approach to lumbar facet pain through conservative and advanced interventional treatments.

Among the available therapeutic options, the following stand out:

Specialized pharmacological treatment
Physiotherapy and functional rehabilitation
Postural re-education and lumbopelvic stabilization
Lumbar medial branch blocks
Radiofrequency denervation of medial branches of facet joints
Regenerative and biological treatments
Advanced neuromodulation techniques

Radiofrequency ablation of the medial lumbar branches is one of the most effective techniques for treating chronic lumbar facet joint pain in selected patients.

At VERTEBRA SpinePain & Regenerative SURGERY CENTERS we have advanced experience in the diagnosis and interventional treatment specializing in degenerative lumbar pathology and image-guided spinal intervention, offering advanced and personalized treatments using high-precision techniques.

VERTEBRA Clinic has been a pioneering player in the implementation and development of minimally invasive spinal techniques whose dissemination and recognition are global in scope.