Osteoarthritis of facet and sacroiliac joints

This review gives a summary of osteoarthritis (OA) of the spine involving the facet and the sacroiliac joints. Facet joint OA is widely prevalent in adults, and is thought to be a common cause of back and neck pain. The prevalence of facet and SI-joint mediated pain increases with age, suggesting that OA might have a particularly important role in older adults with spinal pain. Treatment options of symptomatic facet- and SI-joint degeneration consist of non-opioid analgesics, physiotherapy or in patients with persistent back or leg pain of either spinal decompression or fusion.