Effect of facet-joint degeneration on the in vivo motion of the lower lumbar spine

Abstract

Objective This research studied the in vivo motion characteristics of the L3-S1 lumbar spine with facet-joint degeneration during functional activities. Methods Thirteen male and 21 female patients with facet-joint degeneration at the L3-S1 spinal region were included in the study. The L3-S1 lumbar segments of all the patients were divide into 3 groups according to the degree of facet joints degeneration (mild, moderate or severe). The ranges of motion (ROM) of the vertebrae was analyzed using a combination of computed tomography and dual fluoroscopic imaging techniques. During functional postures, the ROMs were compared between the 3 groups at each spinal level (L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1). Results At L3-L4 level, the primary rotations between the mild and moderate groups during left-right twisting activity were significantly different. At L4-L5 level, the primary rotation of the moderate group was significantly higher than the other groups during flexion-extension. During left-right bending activities a significant difference was observed only between the moderate and severe groups. At L5-S1 level, the rotation of the moderate group was significantly higher than the mild group during left-right bending activity. Conclusions Degeneration of the facet joint alters the ROMs of the lumbar spine. As the degree of facet-joint degeneration increased, the ROMs of the lumbar vertebra that had initially increased, declined. However, when there was severe facet-joint degeneration, the ROMs of lumbar spine declined to levels comparative to the moderate group. The relationship between the stability of the lumbar vertebra and the degree of facet-joint degeneration requires further study.

Correlation between lumbar facet joint tropism and lumbar disc herniation

“…Some studies have suggested tropism of lumbar facet joints, as a contributing factor in the development of LDH [5,9,14,15]. Wang et al [7] measured 65 LDH patients by MRI and compared them with 30 normal subjects and found that FT was present in 20 LDH patients compared with 3 controls, and the difference was statistically signi cant; Chadha et al [11]studied 60 LDH patients and found that 25 had disc herniation at L4/5, 35 at L5/S1, 6 at L4/5 in the observation group, 3 in the control group (P = 0.145), 13 at L5/S1 in the observation group, and 1 in the control group (P = 0.0094) by MRI; Some studies have held the opposite opinion that there is no association between facet joint tropism and LDH.…”

The Effect of Various Weight-bearing Activity on the Motion of the Lumbar Facet Joints in Vivo

“…Researchers are no longer limited to in vivo research, more researchers are gradually moving to in vitro research [6,14,19,25]. And many reasons are considered, such as the movement pattern, the degeneration level of the facet joint [31] or the weight-bearing condition [6].…”

“…However, if microarthritis occurs, the joint load with abnormal joint force can reach up to 47% [30], The probability of low back pain has also greatly increased. Yin et al [31] analyzed the effects of three groups of facet joints with different degrees of degeneration on the movement of the lumbar vertebrae through computed tomography combined with dual-perspective imaging technology, and found that the degeneration of facet joints would change the ROM of the lumbar spine. And as the degree of facet joint degeneration increases, the initial increase in lumbar spine ROM decreases.…”

“…Ten healthy asymptomatic volunteers were recruited in the current study, ve males and ve females with a mean age of 32±5 years (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39) and a mean BMI of 22.68 between April 2017 and August 2017. The inclusion criteria were (1) spine development is normal, lumbar motion in the normal range, (2) no previous lumbago symptoms, no history of waist trauma, sprain, etc.…”