Spinal pathologies

Cervical Facet Syndrome

Cervical Facet Syndrome is a common cause of chronic neck pain originating in the facet joints or zygapophyseal joints of the cervical spine.

These small joints, located at the back of the cervical vertebrae, play a fundamental role in neck mobility and stability. Degenerative, inflammatory, traumatic, or mechanical overload processes can cause irritation and wear and tear of these joints, making them a significant source of neck pain.
Cervical facet syndrome can cause persistent pain, functional limitation, and muscle contracture, significantly affecting the patient’s quality of life.

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degeneración discal cervical

What are the most common symptoms?

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

  • Cervical osteoarthritis
  • Associated disc degeneration
  • cervical biomechanical overload
  • Cervical trauma
  • whiplash
  • Postural alterations
  • Segmental instability
  • Age-related degenerative changes

In many cases, facet syndrome is associated with other coexisting cervical degenerative processes.

What are the most common symptoms?

Cervical facet joint pain usually manifests as:

  • Chronic neck pain
  • Neck stiffness and limited mobility
  • Pain when extending or rotating the head
  • Cervical muscle contracture
  • Pain radiating to the shoulders or interscapular region
  • Cervicogenic headache associated
  • Sensation of cervical blockage

Unlike cervical radiculopathies, there is usually no significant nerve compression towards the arms, although both pathologies can coexist.

Specialized diagnosis

The diagnosis of cervical facet syndrome requires adequate clinical and radiological correlation.

rehabilitacion cervical

Treatment of cervical facet syndrome

The treatment will depend on the degree of joint degeneration and the patient’s clinical evolution.

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

Among the available therapeutic options, the following stand out:

  • Specialized pharmacological treatment
  • Physiotherapy and cervical rehabilitation
  • Postural re-education and muscle strengthening
  • Cervical medial branch blocks
  • Radiofrequency denervation of medial branches of the facet joint
  • Regenerative and Orthobiological Treatments
  • Advanced neuromodulation techniques

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

 

At VERTEBRA SpinePain & Regenerative SURGERY CENTERS we have a specialized unit for degenerative cervical pathology and pain intervention, offering advanced image-guided techniques for the precise and minimally invasive treatment of chronic cervical pain.

The pain usually worsens with stress, sustained postures, and muscle overload.

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