In the neck, facet pain is reproduced when laterally flexing the neck (trying to touch your ear to your shoulder), as well as extending the neck (looking upwards).

Each individual joint has two nerves that supply it called medial branches.  These nerves are important in the treatment of facet-mediated pain.  This treatment involves medial branch nerve blocks and radiofrequency nerve ablation.

X-rays and MRIs can sometimes be helpful in diagnosing facet pain, but physical exam and diagnostic medial branch nerve blocks are most accurate.

            Discogenic pain (pain directly from disc disease)

            Sacroiliac Joint Arthropathy (back of the hip)

            Lumbar Facet Joint Arthropathy (small joints of spine)

            Spinal Stenosis (narrowing of spinal canal)

Lumbar Radiculopathy (nerve root irritation) with leg pain as well

Myofascial Pain (muscular pain)

Lumbar Post-Laminectomy Syndrome (failed back surgery)

Other rare causes of back pain include infection, tumor, pancreatitis, kidney stones, and sickle cell crisis.