Unlocking the Secret to Neck Pain Relief: The Role of Chiropractors in Facet Joint Dysfunction
- Julian Simpson
- Feb 25, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 7, 2025
Unlocking the Secret to Neck Pain Relief: The Role of Chiropractors in Facet Joint Dysfunction
Neck pain is a prevalent and often debilitating condition that significantly affects a substantial portion of the general population. Research indicates that the annual and lifetime prevalence rates of neck pain are estimated to be as high as 37.2%, highlighting its widespread nature and the impact it has on individuals' daily lives.
Among those who experience neck pain, approximately 50% will find that their discomfort becomes recurrent or chronic, which is defined as pain persisting for 12 weeks or longer. This chronic pain can lead to a marked decrease in quality of life, impairing physical functioning and reducing work productivity. As a result, individuals may find themselves struggling to perform everyday activities, which can exacerbate feelings of frustration and helplessness.
Neck pain is clinically defined as any discomfort localized in the posterior region of the neck, specifically the area between the base of the skull and the first thoracic vertebra. The pain can sometimes extend to adjacent regions, manifesting as headaches (known as cervicogenic headaches), or radiating into the shoulders or upper arms, which can be classified as either radicular (involving nerve root irritation) or non-radicular pain.
What causes neck pain?
There are numerous potential sources of neck pain, involving various anatomical structures. These may include the vertebrae, intervertebral discs, uncovertebral (Luschka) joints, ligaments, muscles, and facet (zygapophyseal) joints. Each of these components can contribute to discomfort through different mechanisms, such as degeneration, injury, or inflammation, leading to a complex interplay of factors that can exacerbate neck pain.
What are the risk factors for neck pain?
Several risk factors have been identified that may increase the likelihood of developing neck pain. These include female sex, middle age, genetic predispositions, and various psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety. Additionally, poor coping skills, sleep disorders, smoking, obesity, and lifestyle factors—whether sedentary or high-risk, such as those associated with manual labour or occupational driving—can all play significant roles in the onset and persistence of neck pain.
What are the cervical facet joints?
The cervical facet joints are crucial components of the cervical spine, and in more than 50% of patients who present to pain clinics with neck pain, these joints are identified as the primary source of discomfort. This pain often arises due to degenerative changes in the joints or as a result of trauma, such as whiplash injuries. The clinical significance of these joints is particularly noted in the C2–C3 and C5–C6 levels, which are frequently implicated as pain generators for individuals experiencing cervical facet syndrome.
What causes dysfunction in the facet joints?
Dysfunction in the cervical facet joints can occur due to several factors. One common cause is the increased “facet loading” that results from the narrowing of intervertebral discs, which can lead to abnormal stress on the facet joints. Additionally, microtrauma due to repetitive overload or injury can further exacerbate dysfunction, leading to inflammation and pain in the affected joints.
What are the things Chiropractors look for in your history to diagnose cervical facet syndrome?
When assessing a patient for cervical facet syndrome, chiropractors typically look for specific historical indicators. Pain that originates from the cervical facet joint is often characterized by unilateral pain that rarely radiates beyond the shoulder, although the degree of radiation may vary depending on the extent of the underlying stimulation. Patients frequently report pain during movements such as rotation, lateral bending, and retroflexion of the neck, which may be restricted or painful.
The 4 diagnostic signs of cervical facet syndrome are:
(1) axial neck pain that is rarely radiating past the shoulders;
(2) tenderness or pain upon posteroanterior pressure applied over the articular pillars of the facet joints or during palpation of the segmental muscles that overlie these joints;
(3) pain accompanied by limited extension, lateral flexion, and rotation of the cervical spine; and
(4) the absence of neurological symptoms, which helps differentiate facet joint pain from other potential causes of neck discomfort.
For Chiropractic Treatment, check out our online health program dedicated to cervical facet syndrome. Our program includes a variety of exercises and therapeutic recommendations tailored for our patients after they have consulted with our chiropractors, aimed at alleviating pain and improving function in those suffering from this common condition.
For more information about how we can help YOU with your neck pain and improve your underlying dysfunction so the problem doesn’t come back . Please call Health Wise Chiropractic 03 9467 7889 or book online to see one of our Chiropractors in Sunbury or Melton/Strathtulloh Today!
We are also really proud to offer our patients an APP for their Mobile- iPad. With access to your rehab exercises and our health tip blogs with over 600 articles.
Chiropractic has moved online. We offer our online program -STAND CORRECTED- To help you through the day.
We have over 30 programs on different health conditions
Each program contains
- Information about the conditions
- things to do and things to avoid
- nutrition advice
- all the stretches that are needed to help
Hellinga MD, van Eerd M, Stojanovic MP, Cohen SP, de Andrès Ares J, Kallewaard JW, Van Boxem K, Van Zundert J, Niesters M. 7. Cervical facet pain: Degenerative alterations and whiplash-associated disorder. Pain Pract. 2025 Feb;25(2):e70005. doi: 10.1111/papr.70005. PMID: 39846460; PMCID: PMC11756046.
Comments