Facet joint degeneration

[Fucksandflowers]

Has anyone got this and found a good form of treatment?

DHs spine and hip MRI came back as 'mild facet joint degeneration' but he is in so much pain

I had facet joint steroid injections when my pain was at its worst. Incredibly painful to have but well worth it for the relief afterwards. All done through the pain clinic at the local hospital.

Longer term I've found that swimming (front crawl) is the answer to strengthen the muscles around the back. And I get the it's the last thing you feel like doing but it will help eventually.

Has physio helped at all? Hydropherapy, acupuncture, pilates and pain relief (the latter not from physio) could be helpful (im not a qualified physio-just know of these treatments and they can be helpful I'd hope)

Physio hasn't helped at all no.
He has specifically been told to avoid yoga so not sure if Pilates Gould also be avoided
Will suggest swimming thank you.

I've had facet block injections, six in one session, vertebrae L1, L2 and L3, done under sedation. They reduced the pain levels for four-five months but are only effective in about 50% of patients who have them. They can't be repeated too often either, as ultimately injecting steroids in the spine will cause the vertebrae to deteriorate even more. This from my consultant spinal surgeon who performed the injections.

They don't have to be painful for the patient. The first attempt at giving me these was abandoned after the second injection because I was screaming in agony and too terrified to stay still to be safe.

Carrying out facet block injections without sedation is barbaric, don't accept it. This is the 21st century and 18th century attitudes to pain are unacceptable, just plain cruel. Some people go through the procedure with only mild discomfort, but no-one can predict who will, and who will suffer completely unnecessarily.

I do prescribed exercises to strengthen my core, but no yoga, pilates or similar. My regular pain management regime is opioids, an NSAID, and Omeprazole to mitigate the unpleasant side effects of the NSAID. I also have a stronger opioid for breakthrough pain when necessary.

The most important thing is to make sure I eat regularly as I only take half the Omeprazole prescribed because it makes me feel so ill and unable to eat, so I can take the NSAID regularly with food.