Lower Cervical Facet AnatomyLower Cervical Facet Anatomy endeavours to help you to make some sense out of the pain you may be experiencing in your lower neck. The lower neck takes the brunt of the whip in accidents. It is here that most often ligaments are stretched, discs are squashed and fractures happen. It's a transition zone between the highly flexible neck and the very stable (because of the ribs) thoracic spine.
Thus it comes as no surprise that Lower Cervical Facet Anatomy is where degenerative arthritis is most prevalent. Anatomists call it Immobilisation arthritis because injury results in fixated joints, starving the joint cartilage of nutrients and oxygen.
X-rayImmediately after a mild whiplash there are usually few abnormalities seen on x-ray. They are taken to rule out more serious injury.However, left in a "jammed-up" state, the facets will very soon start to develop degenerative arthritis (aka Osteoarthritis). Notice here the subtle changes that have been occuring since the injury. They are inevitably in the absence of the correct treatment. Understanding the Lower Cervical Facet Anatomy IS important.
On most radiological reports very little of this would be mentioned. It is considered normal aging of the spine and not worth a comment. You can't see it on this xray, but on a scan we would most likely see bulges of the discs at one or more levels, and pressure on the nerve roots as they are being compromised from the front (by the disc), and from behind by the swollen facet joint and the progressive arthritic changes. In the early stages, you are likely to experience just nagging neck pain, but before too long it's going to cause pain in the shoulder and arm as the nerve roots are affected.
Medical admissionMedicine is now beginning to accept what chiropractors have known for years. Before arthritis appears in an x-ray, the joint cartilage, starved of nutrients, begins to warn of impending disaster by causing pain and stiffness.At the recent European Congress of Rheumatology, Prof JWJ Bijlsma, chair of the osteoarthritis scientific programme committee had this to say: "Osteoarthritis is a real disorder, with bone and cartilage changes but, especially in the EARLY STAGES there is a discrepancy between what we see on x-ray and the clinical complaints of the patient." HiccupingHiccuping is a reflex contraction of the Diaphragm muscle, causing a sudden intake of breath that snaps the epiglottis closed. A hic. Irritation of the Phrenic nerve roots (C3-C4-C5), the nerve itself or one of the tissues supplied by the Phrenic nerve are the usual causes.Chiropractic careThe correct management of the Lower Cervical Facet Anatomy is important. Otherwise, arthritis will inevitably form, together with weak anterior neck muscles due to the pinched nerves.Orthopaedic researchers looking at knee and hip arthritis make the interesting statement: Mechanical factors, including joint instability and malalignment, contribute to the progressive degeneration of joints. Certainly this applies to the Cervical Facets also. The treatment is aimed at first loosening up the fixations, treating any muscle spasm that may be present, and then exercises and rehabilitation to maintain the balance and strength in the neck. TractionNeck traction has gone out of vogue in chiropractic circles. (certainly a chiropractor I once attended who trained pre-WW 2 used traction extensively.) However, recent medical research on the the management of hip, knee and ankle arthritis has shown that joint unloading is a vital part of conservative treatment of these weightbearing joints. Perhaps neck traction may be more useful than we realise in the management of healthy lower cervical facet anatomy. The skull and brain is after all quite weighty!IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONSMonthly Newsletter. Signed up yet?
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