We see patients in our office every day that have severe neck pain after they have seemingly not done anything to themselves. Conversation goes like this. "Doc I woke up this morning with a pinched nerve in my neck. I can't turn my head or can barely lift it. What can I do?" or, "I turned my head quickly and felt it seize up and now I have this pinched nerve". This "pinched nerve" is usually not an actual pinched nerve at all, rather it is inflammation of a cervical facet joint termed cervical facet syndrome.

What is a cervical facet joint?
The cervical region (or neck) has joints on the back of the vertabrae that allow you to move up, down, rotate and bend. It has cartilage, a ligament sac encapsulating the joint (called a joint capsule) and also a fibrous pad that extends from the capsule into the joint. This is called a meniscoid. Find the facet joints on our anatomy viewer.

Possible symptoms associated with cervical facet syndrome:
-tenderness to palpation over the facet joints or paraspinal muscles
-pain with neck extension or rotation
-pain radiating into the shoulders and arms with absent neurologic
abnormalities.

Effective Treatment Options:
-Spinal joint manipulation or mobilization (see a chiropractor)
-Therapeutic exercises to strengthen neck (see a chiropractor or PT)
-Spinal joint injections (see a physiatrist MD)
-Spinal nerve blocks (see a physiatrist MD)

Cervical facet syndrome is a common cause of both acute and chronic neck pain and is commonly seen. The diagnosis of facet syndrome should be part of the differential diagnosis of any physician who deals with neck pain on a regular basis. There is, however, a possibility of a nerve impingement so evaluation by a professional maybe necessary.

For further information, please read the article at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3841/is_200403/ai_n9359288/