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Picture a tripod, with the body of the vertebra as one leg, and the facet joints as the other two legs. Looking down on the spine from above with the stomach in the front... The body of the vertebra is at 12 o'clock (noon) and the facet joints are at 5 & 7 o'clock [posterior (behind) & lateral (off to the side)] of the main vertebral body.

Facet joints help stabilize the spine, and wear & tear over a long period of time will lead to the body strengthening these joints by depositing more bone to make them stronger. This is called Arthritis.

Nerves exit the spinal cord and travel between these facet joints; when there is a lot of bone build-up, the causes crowding in the area where the nerves exit the spine to travel down the body. This narrowing is called 'stenosis'.

If there is enough 'stenosis' of this area the nerve exiting the spine in this area can have some pressure placed on it.

Nerves are like the wiring in the house, except individual nerves fibers are bundled up together, like a lot of individual small wires within the main bundle. Each individual wire (nerve fiber) travels to one specific spot in the brain, traveling all the way from its origin in the body, through the spinal column (cord) to the brain.

If this nerve fiber in affected ANYWHERE along its path, it will make the brain think pain is originating where the nerve fiber originated. So if a nerve bundle in "pinched" in the spine, the brain will get the signal that (let's say, assuming the nerve came from the foot) an area in the foot is hurting.

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13y ago

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