The Lumbar Facet Joint Capsule Thickens Following Spinal Segmental Hypomobility Induced Osteoarthritis

Low back pain (LBP) is a major medical issue and the primary cause for global disability. One common cause of LBP is osteoarthritis (OA) of the lumbar facet joints. OA involves numerous tissues that can induce pain. In particular, during facet joint OA in humans, the articular capsule thickens in response to mechanical and inflammatory stresses; this thickening is associated with LBP. We have previously reported a novel rat model using external spinal linkage to cause lumbar spinal hypomobility and induce OA the in lower lumbar facet joints (L4/5 and L5/6) that may model the progression of spinal OA in humans. This hypomobility results in significant macroscopic OA changes to the articular cartilage and subchondral bone bilaterally by 8-weeks post linkage. The onset and progression of articular capsule changes and their relationship with pain behaviors is unexplored in this model. Here we examined if lumbar spinal segmental hypomobility in rats is associated with thickening of the ventral articular capsul...