Facet Thermal Ablation

Arthritis of the spine can cause chronic pain and limited mobility in many patients. SpineOne specializes in a minimally invasive procedure called Facet Thermal Ablation that has been shown to provide relief for these patients. This procedure targets the source of the pain without interfering with surrounding muscles or nerves.

Also known as Facet Thermal Neurotomy, this procedure aims to treat arthritis in the spine. Your spine has a series of facet joints on the outside of your spinal cord that lay closest to your skin. These facet joints allow the spine to bend and move in a full range of motion. When you have facet arthritis, that means you have arthritis in the joints that allow your spine to move comfortably. Often, this can result in pain, stiffness and loss of motion.

Our facet thermal ablation procedure uses a laser to eliminate the arthritis in the facet joints of the spine. Our surgeons create a small incision and use a laser to deaden the nerves that are being compressed by the arthritis in your joints. The minimally invasive techniques used in this procedure allow our surgeons to treat your spine condition without affecting the surrounding muscles and nerves, thus resulting in a shorter recovery time.

Symptoms associated with arthritis of the spine (facet joints) can vary from person to person based on the individual and the intensity of the condition. The most common symptoms of this spine condition include:

• Acute pain — Facet arthritis may cause localized pain in the neck or lower back where the joints are affected. The pain can be random and intermittent, ranging from almost constant to just a few times a month.

• Persistent tenderness or pain — One of the most common symptoms of facet arthritis is a continual tenderness at the site of the arthritis.

• Limited movement and flexibility — Often arthritis in the facet joints will cause limited movement and stiffness in the spine. You might experience more pain bending backward than forward.

• Radiating pain — You may experience pain in your buttock and leg if your facet arthritis is in your lower spine. Likewise, if the facet arthritis is in your cervical (neck) spine, you may experience radiating pain in your shoulder and arm.