Facet disease is a degenerative condition that affects the facet joints in the spine. Obesity is one of the major causes of facet disease as extra weight places undue stress on the facet joints, causing them to overcompensate and degenerate faster over time. Maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent facet disease and reduce stress on the spine.

1. Facet Disease Causes –
Obesity

2. One of the most concerning facet disease
causes is obesity, which is a term used to
describe unhealthy body weight. It may
seem strange to link facet disease to
weight, but how much we weigh
significantly affects the health of the spine,
particularly over time. To fully understand
the connection, it can be helpful to first
understand how facet disease develops.

3. What is Facet Disease?
Facet disease, or spinal osteoarthritis, is a degenerative
condition that affects the facet joints, which are the
supportive articulation points on the top and bottom of
vertebrae. The facet joints give the spine its flexibility and
wide range of motion. Lubricating synovial fluid and cartilage
line the facet joints, which allow the bones to slide smoothly
over one another. The cartilage dehydrates as we grow older
and through normal wear and tear, it can begin to wear away
from the joint. Facet disease causes the bones to grind against
each other, which may cause bone spurs, or osteophytes, to
develop.

4. Facet Disease Symptoms
Facet disease can cause mechanical symptoms of pain like joint stiffness,
spontaneous joint lockage, and inflammation when the cartilage around the
joint degenerates significantly. Medial branch nerves that innervate the joint
space may become irritated, which makes the joint feel painful. However, if
bone spurs form in or around the joint, they may compress nearby spinal
nerve roots. If this happens, neuropathic
symptoms like pain, tingling, numbness,
and weakness may affect any of the
extremities innervated by the nerve roots.
In severe cases, these symptoms may limit
an individual’s mobility and reduce
quality of life.

5. How Does Weight Play a Role?
The facet joints help to stabilize the spine, but facilitate
its movement at the same time. Over many years,
constant motion – especially in the highly mobile lumbar
(lower back) region of the spine – can contribute to the
normal process of wear and tear on the joints. When
weight is gained, particularly in the belly, the lumbar
spine is unnaturally pulled forward and the facet joints
are forced to overcompensate for the additional stress. As
a result, the overcompensation causes the faster
degeneration of the facet joints.

6. In Conclusion
In addition to being one of the common facet
disease causes, obesity can also lead to a variety
of other health risks, such as heart disease, high
blood pressure, stroke, respiratory problems,
diabetes, and more. Maintaining a healthy
weight and eating a well-balanced diet can
eliminate many of these health concerns and
prevent the onset of facet disease.