Spondylarthritis – facet joint osteoarthritis

Spondylarthrosis is the wear and tear of the vertebral joints or joint facets which stabilise the anterior column of the spine. In over 90% of cases, facet arthrosis occurs secondarily, ie as a consequence of degeneration and shrinkage of the intervertebral discs, which is connected with a loss of normal disc height. This presses the facets against each other, causing a long-term wearing process. In about 10% of cases, facet arthrosis occurs primarily and can be seen in juvenile    ( = idiopathic ) scoliosis or congenital hollow back (hyperlordosis). This arthritis of the facet joints can be very painful. Often, regular physiotherapy or injections of painkillers into the facet joints can help. If this does not lead to a long-term success, the facets can also be surgically denervated, ie the nerve branches which open into the facet joint are severed. This alleviates the pain, however, does not eliminate the cause. Modern dynamic internal fixators  or initial developments of facet joint prostheses are promising. After surgical removal of the affected facet parts, these implants take over the function of the facet joints and give the spine its necessary stability.