The Facet joints are located at the back on either side of the spinal column, between the discs and the vertebral bodies. Each vertebra has bony prominences on each side that form a facet joint with the vertebra above and below. The role of the facet joints is to limit excessive movement and provide stability for the spine.

Facet joints are a potential source of pain which can affect the neck, middle back or lower back. Poor posture is commonly implicated in the development facet joint pain. Prolonged sitting and bending postures places an increased load on the facet joints which then become inflamed and painful. The muscles surrounding the spine also become affected. When considering how poor posture can affect the neck and thoracic spine (middle back) we can see that the thoracic spine becomes round, the shoulders hunch and the head pokes forwards; this leads to tightness of the muscles at the front of the chest and overload of the muscles around the shoulder blades and neck. The paraspinal muscles (long muscles which run the length of either side of the spine) in particular become knotted and tender ⁽¹⁾. 

How can foam rollers help with cervical and facet joint injuries?

A foam roller is a firm solid cylinder which is about 6 inches in diameter and 3 feet long. A roller can be used to isolate specific injured areas of the body and treat restrictions in the soft tissue⁽²⁾as well as perform balance training exercises, core activation exercises and stretching.

Stretching exercises on the foam roller for neck and thoracic facet joint pain.

This exercise is great for extending the middle back and neck and opening out across the front of the chest.

Lie on your back with the roller placed vertically along the length of the spine, feet on the floor and knees bent. Try to keep the spine in contact with the roller and open the arms out to the side. Feel the stretch across the front of the chest, lengthen the neck by tucking the chin inwards.

Muscle release techniques for the middle back using the foam roller

This exercise is to release tension in the muscles either side of the spine, it may feel a little uncomfortable initially but this does ease the more you do it.

Lie on your back with the roller placed horizontally between you and the floor. Your feet should be on the floor with your knees bent. Use the legs to push the body up and down the roller (like a rolling pin) to release tension within the muscles either side of the spine.

By improving your posture, the alignment of your spine is more efficient and the loads placed on the facet joins are reduced.

One of the major benefits of using a foam roller is that it is a relatively inexpensive way to treat injury on your own. It can be used to maintain joint alignment and muscle flexibility in between treatment sessions or for prevention of recurrence of symptoms.

For more information about the use of foam rollers to treat back and neck pain or to purchase a foam roller contact us at (508) 845-3500. 

References

1. Referred pain distribution of the cervical zygapophyseal joints and cervical dorsal rami. Fukui S, Ohseto K, Shiotani M, et al.  1996, Pain, Vol. 68 (1), pp. 79-83.

2. A comparison of the pressure exerted on soft tissue by 2 myofascial rollers. Curran, PF, Fiore, RD and Crisco, JJ. 2008, Journal of sports rehabilitation, Vol. 17, pp. 432-442. 

The urge to “fatten up” and “hibernate” in winter is strong, even for us humans. However, you are better off staying in shape than struggling to catch up come spring. Winter exercise benefits more than just your physical fitness: it is also a powerful antidote for the winter blues.

Options for winter workouts vary by your interests and your location. People who live in warmer, sunnier climates have the outdoor advantage over those of us in the Northeast who have to live with the cold temperatures and snow. But being outdoors in the winter can be exhilarating. Look at Rocky Balboa…all he needed was 2-3 feet of snow covered wasteland, a pile of wood to cut and throw around, a cold barn to workout in, a “Paulie” weighted sled, a few trees to chop down, and a snow covered mountain to climb (watch this if you need a visual: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8xHjC27YvM&NR=1). If it worked for him, it can work for you. And look at how much fun he had!!!

Neck pain affects many people; it can be the result of a range of conditions that affect the muscles, joints, ligaments, discs or nerves. Frequently poor posture contributes to this problem. Postural correction exercises are therefore used in the treatment of this problem.

There are a range of posture correction exercises but they can be broadly grouped into 4 areas:

1.     Chin Tucks

These exercises aim to restore alignment of the head relative to the torso. It is common particularly in neck pain sufferers for the chin to poke forwards when standing or sitting.

2.     Breast Bone Lift

Avoiding too large a curve in the middle back can be achieved through ‘opening the front of the chest'.

3.     Shoulder Blade Squeeze

Retracting the shoulder blades prevents the shoulders from rounding.

4.     ‘Spine Neutral'

Finding the middle range of pelvic tilt helps to activate the core muscles and ensures the spine is in its most efficient position.

The spine should naturally follow a shallow ‘S' shaped curve. In this position the joints are stacked one on top of another. The muscles are orientated in their most mechanically advantageous position and there is minimal stress through the spine. Any abnormal curves will perpetuate neck pain through stress on muscles ligaments and joints.

Posture correction exercises aim to strengthen the muscles that support the spine and control the weight of the head so that normal spinal curves can be maintained.

Chin Tucks

It has been shown that neck pain sufferers demonstrate weakness and lack of endurance of the deep neck flexor muscles ⁽¹⁾. Chin tuck exercises help to restore function of the deep neck flexors and even if used in isolation can be helpful in reducing neck pain ⁽¹⁾.

Breast Bone Lift

This approach is also called thoracic extension or 'opening through the front of the chest'.  The thoracic spine (middle back) naturally has a slightly forward curve, however, where this curve is excessive it creates an imbalance between the muscles at the front of the chest which adaptively shorten and the muscles at the back which weaken.

Shoulder Blade Squeezes

Pulling the shoulder blades backwards is called retraction. Retraction exercises are used in conjunction with improving thoracic extension to reduce muscle imbalance. By strengthening the muscles which pull the shoulder blade onto the chest wall, one of which is the lower trapezius, it is possible to reduce stress on the upper trapezius. If the upper trapezius is overactive it can lead to the development of trigger points. Trigger points are tight bands or ‘knots' within a muscle they cause pain in a particular distribution and are very often factors for consideration in neck pain of any source.

Spine Neutral

Spine neutral refers to the awareness of a mid range position between maximum tilt forwards at the pelvis and maximum tilt backwards. Where people exhibit poor posture often they have a tendency towards too far forwards which creates a big arch in the lower back or too far tilted backwards as is seen in slumped posture. The position of the pelvis is key to the alignment of the curves of the spine. Improving the strength of the ‘core' muscles helps to maintain this position allowing the spine to follow the normal natural curves which are observed in good posture.

The use of posture correction exercises have been shown to improve neck pain ⁽²⁾. Not only will they reduce the stresses on ligaments, muscles and joints that may have caused the problem initially, they will also help to prevent further episodes of pain and movement restriction.

References

1. The effeect of therapeutic exercise on the deep cervical flexor muscles in people with chronic neck pain. Jull, GA, Falla, D and Vicenzino, B. 2009, Manual Therapy, Vol. 14, pp. 696-701.

2. Evidence for exercise therapy in mechanical neck disorders. Sarig-Bahat, H. 2003, Manual Therapy, Vol. 8, pp. 10-20.