Facet joint pain · Olathe, Kansas
Nonsurgical Treatment for Facet Joint Pain
Back pain that is worse standing and better sitting may be coming from the joints, not the disc.
Facet joint pain is common and often treated as something else. The evaluation identifies the source and tells you whether nonsurgical treatment is appropriate.
- For back or neck pain that is worse standing, leaning back or twisting
- Nonsurgical, seated treatment that unloads the joints
- Candidacy answered at the first visit
- Your first visit is free, and includes your first treatment
Or call or text (913) 355-5998
- Dr. Matt Metcalf, DC
- 20+ years
- 65,000+ treatment visits supervised
- 5.0 on Google
Sound familiar?
Does this sound like your facet joint pain?
Standing at a counter, walking on hard floors and sleeping on your stomach aggravate facet pain. Getting up from a chair takes a moment. Many people have been treated for a disc problem without much change because the pain was coming from the joints beside it.
- Standing at a counter or walking on hard floors hurts
- Sitting or bending forward eases it
- A deep ache into the buttock or thigh, rarely below the knee
- Stiff in the morning, better once you are moving
- You have been treated for a disc without much change
Common symptoms of facet joint pain
- Low back or neck pain that is worse standing, leaning back or twisting
- Pain that eases when you sit or bend forward
- A deep ache that spreads into the buttock or thigh, or from the neck into the shoulder
- Stiffness first thing in the morning that eases with movement
- Tenderness to pressure beside the spine
If two or more of these are true, a free first visit is the logical next step. It is the only way to know what is contributing to your symptoms and whether nonsurgical treatment is appropriate.
What facet joint pain is
What facet joint pain is, and why it keeps coming back
Each vertebra connects to the one below at the disc in front and at a pair of facet joints behind. The facets are true joints with cartilage and a capsule, and like a knee or a hip they can become inflamed and arthritic. They take more load when the disc thins, when you stand and lean back, and when you rotate. Facet pain is typically a local, deep ache that spreads into the buttock or thigh but rarely below the knee.
Between each pair of vertebrae sits a disc. When it's healthy, it's tall and full of fluid, and it holds open the space where a nerve leaves your spine.
Years of sitting, lifting and gravity compress it. It loses water and height, that space narrows, and the nerve gets crowded. That's what sends pain, numbness and tingling down a leg or an arm.
It doesn't fix itself, because discs have no blood supply. They depend on pressure changing as you move — and a compressed disc isn't getting that.
How spinal decompression treats it
Non-surgical spinal decompression gently separates the vertebrae, taking pressure off the disc and giving the nerve room. Repeated over a course of care, that's what gives symptoms a chance to settle.
Facet Joint Pain treatment options
Most of the usual approaches manage the symptom. Fewer address the load on the disc.
None of these are wrong, and some of them may be part of your care. The question the evaluation answers is whether something is still loading the disc or the nerve — and whether that is something we can change.
Nonsurgical treatment options for facet joint pain
- Movement and posture changes that reduce extension and rotation load
- Physical therapy for hip and trunk strength
- Medication, or facet injections and other procedures, prescribed by a physician
- Non-surgical spinal decompression when loss of disc height is loading the facets
- Referral for further evaluation when the pattern does not fit
| Usual approach | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rest and ice | Reduces inflammation for a while. Does not change what is loading the disc. |
| Pain medication | Blocks the pain signal. Useful; does not address the source. |
| Injections | Reduces inflammation around the nerve, often temporarily. |
| Physical therapy | Strengthens the muscles that support the spine — valuable, and sometimes not enough on its own when a disc is the driver. |
| Surgery | Removes or fuses tissue. Sometimes necessary. A large step to take before nonsurgical options have been properly evaluated. |
Our approach
Evaluate first. Then treat, measure and adapt.
We focus on nonsurgical treatment for appropriate spine, disc and nerve conditions. Treatment begins with an evaluation so we can determine whether our approach is appropriate for your condition.
- 01
Evaluate
Determine what may be contributing to your symptoms.
- 02
Treat
Begin appropriate nonsurgical treatment if you are a candidate.
- 03
Measure
Track your response to treatment.
- 04
Adapt
Change the plan based on how you respond.
Why evaluation matters for facet joint pain
Facet pain, disc pain and sacroiliac pain overlap in where they are felt, but they behave differently under load and respond to different treatment. The evaluation uses specific movements and examination findings to identify the source, and reads the imaging with those findings in mind rather than the other way around.
How we evaluate facet joint pain
We examine which movements and positions reproduce your pain, palpate the joints, examine the nerves to rule out a root problem, and compare the findings with your imaging. If loss of disc height is driving the facet load and your pain pattern fits, we explain what we would treat and how we would measure it. If not, we say so.
When additional medical evaluation is necessary. Back or neck pain with fever, unexplained weight loss, a history of cancer, or pain that is worst at night should be evaluated by a physician first. Any new weakness, numbness in the groin, or bowel or bladder change needs same-day care.
What a spinal decompression visit is like
Non-surgical, with no injections and no incisions. You are seated and reclined, not face-down and not in a harness. Treatment can be directed at the low back or the neck, the settings are set for you, and each visit is built around you. Whether it is appropriate for you is decided at your first visit.
Honest about who it's for
It is not for everyone, and no one can promise you an outcome before examining you. For the right patient it takes the load off a painful disc without surgery, and we measure your response rather than assume it. The free first visit is how we find out whether you are that patient.
Honest about fit
Who this is for, and who it isn't for
Spinal decompression is not for everyone, and we would rather tell you that before you come in.
It is often right for
- Bulging or herniated discs in the lower back
- Cervical disc herniation
- Sciatica, or pain that runs down a leg
- Neck pain that travels into the shoulder, arm or hand
- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
- Grip weakness
- Headaches from neck tension
- Pinched nerves
- Degenerative disc disease
- Spinal stenosis with positional leg symptoms
- Facet pain
- Pain after back or neck surgery, including a fusion once the recovery period has passed
- Pain that hasn't responded to the usual care
It is usually not right for
- Spinal fractures
- Severe osteoporosis
- Tumors or infection
- Spinal instability or cord-level symptoms
- Some conditions we screen for at your first visit
The first visit is where we find out which list you're on. If you've had a fusion or have hardware, we check how long ago and clear it with you at the first visit.
The first step
Start with a free first visit.
Free
Your first visit at Back-Trac Spinal Decompression is free. It includes a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Metcalf, a review of your MRI or X-rays if you have them, an exam, and your first spinal decompression treatment the same day. You'll leave knowing whether you're a candidate.
Schedule my free consultationWe text you within a minute to set your free first visit, any hour. If you don't check the text box, we call you back.
What your free first visit includes
- A one-on-one consultation with Dr. Metcalf
- A review of your MRI or X-rays, if you have them
- An exam, with a measured baseline
- Your first spinal decompression treatment, the same day
- A straight answer on whether you're a candidate
- If you are, a plan for what comes next
No obligation. New patients only. Some insurance plans are excluded by law.
What you'll learn
What you walk out knowing
1What is actually contributing to your symptoms
Not a guess from a report: findings from an exam, read alongside your imaging.
2Whether you are a candidate
A straight answer at the first visit. If you are not, we tell you and point you to the right care.
3How your body responds
Your first spinal decompression treatment happens the same day, and we record your response.
4What comes next
If you are a candidate, a plan, before you decide anything.
Patient reviews
From patients who came in with the same thing.
Every review is a verified Google review of this clinic, quoted as written.
“No more dragging by the end of a work day … The sessions were quick enough to fit around my job, and now I get through a full shift without feeling sore or wrecked by the time I'm home.”
Kyle R.Verified Google review
“Standing for long stretches used to wear on my lower back, not anymore. … Big change from where I started.”
Roman P.Verified Google review
“Sciatica had me shifting around constantly, especially sitting for any length of time. … the leg pain's way down and I can actually sit through a meeting or a movie without needing to move.”
Aaron B.Verified Google review
FAQ
Questions about facet joint pain
What happens at my free first visit?
Is the first visit really free?
What happens after the free visit?
Will insurance cover this?
How do I set my first visit?
How does spinal decompression work?
Does it hurt?
Free first visit · New patients only
Schedule your free consultation and treatment
Your first visit is free: sit down with Dr. Metcalf, go over your MRI or X-rays, get your questions answered, and start spinal decompression treatment the same day.
Dr. Matt Metcalf, D.C.
1011 E 151st St
Olathe, KS 66062
By appointment
Your free first visit includes:
- A one-on-one consultation with Dr. Metcalf
- A review of your imaging
- An exam
- Your first treatment, the same day
Prefer to talk? Call or text (913) 355-5998.
Related conditions
Find out whether we can help with your facet joint pain.
Back-Trac Spinal Decompression · 1011 E 151st St, Olathe, KS
Or call or text (913) 355-5998