1. Identifying Facet Disease
Symptoms

2. Facet disease symptoms can
sometimes be difficult to
pinpoint as such, since
several spinal conditions
often cause similar
symptoms. Patients should
carefully keep track of their
discomfort, including its
location, severity, and
frequency, which can help a
doctor or spine specialist
make a proper diagnosis.

3. What to Be Aware Of
Facet disease symptoms can take on different forms based on where
the degenerative joint or joints are located within the spine. In general,
an individual who suffers from facet disease, or spinal arthritis, may
experience:
• A localized pain that affects the area immediately surrounding a
damaged joint
• An aching pain that can radiates into the extremities
• Tenderness when the affected area is touched or palpated
• Sore and inflamed muscles and ligaments
• Crepitus, or the audible sounds of popping or cracking as bones
grind together

4. Nerve-Related
Facet Disease Symptoms
Facet disease often causes the development of bone
spurs, or bony nodules, that form as joints devoid of their
cartilaginous lining rub together. If a bone spur happens
to compress the spinal cord or a nearby nerve root,
additional nerve pain symptoms also can arise. These
might include localized pain if the medial branch nerve
inside the joint becomes inflamed or irritated, and
radiating symptoms of tingling, weakness, numbness, and
pain in the extremities if a nerve root is compressed.

5. When to See a Doctor
If an individual is experiencing what appear to be persistent facet
disease symptoms for several days or weeks, he or she should
make an appointment to meet with a doctor or spine specialist.
It can be helpful for the patient to bring along any notes
documenting the symptoms experienced, as well as any at-home
treatments he or she may have already attempted. In most
cases, a doctor will recommend a regimen of conservative (non-
surgical) treatments to combat pain, including pain medication,
physical therapy, muscle relaxants, and cold/heat therapies,
among others. These are usually able to help symptoms subside
and, as a result, surgery is seldom needed to treat facet disease.