Foam Rollers for Neck Pain

Foam Rollers Can Stretch Away Facet Joint Pain

By: Steve Messineo

The Facet joints are located at the back on either side of the spinal column, between the discs and the vertebral bodies. Each vertebra has bony prominences on each side that form a facet joint with the vertebra above and below. The role of the facet joints is to limit excessive movement and provide stability for the spine.
Facet joints are a potential source of pain which can affect the neck, middle back or lower back. Poor posture is commonly implicated in the development of facet joint pain. Prolonged sitting and bending postures places an increased load on the facet joints which then become inflamed and painful. The muscles surrounding the spine also become affected. When considering how poor posture can affect the neck and thoracic spine (middle back), we can see that the thoracic spine becomes round and the shoulders hunch and the head pokes forwards. This leads to tightness of the muscles at the front of the chest and overload of the muscles around the shoulder blades and neck. The paraspinal muscles (long muscles which run the length of either side of the spine) in particular become knotted and tender ⁽¹⁾.
How can foam rollers help with cervical and facet joint injuries?
A foam roller is a firm solid cylinder that is about six inches in diameter and three feet long. A roller can be used to isolate specific injured areas of the body and treat restrictions in the soft tissue⁽²⁾ as well as perform balance training exercises, core activation exercises and stretching.
Stretching exercises on the foam roller for neck and thoracic facet joint pain.
This exercise is great for extending the middle back and neck and opening out across the front of the chest.
Lie on your back with the roller placed vertically along the length of the spine, feet on the floor and knees bent. Try to keep the spine in contact with the roller and open the arms out to the side. Feel the stretch across the front of the chest, lengthen the neck by tucking the chin inwards.
Muscle release techniques for the middle back using the foam roller:
This exercise is to release tension in the muscles either side of the spine, it may feel a little uncomfortable initially but this does ease the more you do it.
Lie on your back with the roller placed horizontally between you and the floor. Your feet should be on the floor with your knees bent. Use the legs to push the body up and down the roller (like a rolling pin) to release tension within the muscles either side of the spine.
By improving your posture, the alignment of your spine is more efficient and the loads placed on the facet joints are reduced.
One of the major benefits of using a foam roller is that it is a relatively inexpensive way to treat injury on your own. It can be used to maintain joint alignment and muscle flexibility in between physical therapy treatment sessions or for prevention of recurrence of symptoms.
References
Referred pain distribution of the cervical zygapophyseal joints and cervical dorsal rami. Fukui S, Ohseto K, Shiotani M, et al. 1996, Pain, Vol. 68 (1), pp. 79-83.
A comparison of the pressure exerted on soft tissue by 2 myofascial rollers. Curran, PF, Fiore, RD and Crisco, JJ. 2008, Journal of sports rehabilitation, Vol. 17, pp. 432-442.