Facet Joints May Be Responsible for 15% of Chronic Low Back Pain Cases
The facet joints are located on the posterior side of each vertebrae and allow the spine to bend forward and backward and twist. In a recent experiment involving 206 chronic low back pain patients, researchers observed that diagnostic nerve blocks relieved back pain in 15% of participants, which suggests that facet joint dysfunction may be the primary cause of 1 in 6 cases of chronic low back pain. Doctors of chiropractic utilize spinal manipulation and other manual therapies to restore proper motion and alignment to the facet joints and other spinal structures in the management of low back pain. Pain Medicine, February 2021