Besides a "Blown Disc", facet joint syndrome is the most common cause of low back pain in our patients. Facet syndrome is an arthritis-like condition caused by degenerative changes to the joints between the spinal bones. The cartilage (marked in red below) inside the facet joint can break down and become inflamed, triggering pain signals in nearby nerve endings. This causes pain that starts in the low back and may go all the way down to the knee, but not beyond it. Luckily, consistent chiropractic adjustments can help to keep the facet joints from impacting each other and reduce the frequency of symptoms as well as slow down future degeneration.