.png){kind=icon}
Contact .png){kind=icon}
Call Us .png){kind=icon}
Book Online 
Spinal osteoarthritis can turn ordinary movements into a source of recurring back or neck pain. Bending, standing, turning your head, getting out of a chair, or spending long periods in one position may become increasingly uncomfortable as the small joints of the spine begin to degenerate.
At The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care, we provide spinal osteoarthritis treatment in New York and New Jersey for patients dealing with pain, stiffness, reduced range of motion, and related nerve symptoms. Under the direction of Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, MD, FAAOS, our team evaluates where the arthritis is located, how much joint degeneration is present, and whether bone spurs, spinal stenosis, or nearby nerve compression are contributing to your symptoms.
Our treatment plans may include physical therapy, pain management, spinal injections, or surgery in severe cases. We focus on restoring function, reducing pain, and helping you stay active for as long as possible.
Schedule a consultation with our team to discuss persistent back or neck pain and the treatment options that may fit your condition.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. In the spine, it develops as cartilage and other joint structures gradually wear down, most often affecting the facet joints that connect the vertebrae and help control movement.
As those surfaces become less smooth, the affected joints can become painful and stiff. The body may also form bone spurs around areas of degeneration. If those changes begin to narrow the spinal canal or the openings where the nerve roots exit, spinal arthritis may contribute to nerve pain, numbness, weakness, or spinal stenosis.
Spinal osteoarthritis is different from rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks joint tissue, while osteoarthritis is primarily associated with joint degeneration and wear and tear.
Age is an important risk factor, but younger adults can also develop arthritis after previous injuries, repetitive stress, excess strain on the spine, or other joint damage.
Spinal arthritis symptoms often develop gradually. Some patients notice a persistent ache. Others primarily feel stiffness after waking up, sitting for long periods, or staying in one position.
Common symptoms can include:
Symptoms can vary considerably from one person to another. Imaging may show substantial arthritis in someone with relatively little pain, while another patient may have significant symptoms from a smaller area of facet joint arthritis. That is why we evaluate the full clinical picture rather than relying on imaging alone.
We begin by reviewing your symptoms and medical history. We want to know where the pain occurs, which movements aggravate it, how long it has been present, and whether you are also experiencing numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness.
During your physical examination, we evaluate spinal range of motion, tenderness, muscle strength, reflexes, sensation, and overall joint function.
X-rays can show joint space narrowing, bone spurs, changes in spinal alignment, and other signs of osteoarthritis. MRI scans may be useful when symptoms suggest involvement of the spinal discs, spinal cord, nerve roots, or other soft tissues. CT imaging can provide additional detail about bone and the facet joints when necessary.
Because arthritis visible on imaging does not always cause pain, we compare those findings with your symptoms and examination. In some cases, diagnostic facet joint injections or medial branch blocks can help us determine whether an arthritic facet joint is actually generating the pain.
Our approach to spinal osteoarthritis treatment depends on the location of the arthritis, severity of joint degeneration, symptoms, overall health, and whether the condition is affecting nearby nerves.
Many patients can manage symptoms without surgery. We typically begin with conservative care and move toward more targeted pain procedures when symptoms continue despite initial treatment.
Physical Therapy: Our treatment plans may include physical therapy to strengthen the muscles that support the spine, improve mobility, and preserve range of motion. Stronger core and back muscles can reduce stress on arthritic joints and make everyday movement more comfortable.
Pain Medications: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, may help reduce inflammation and arthritis pain when medically appropriate. Acetaminophen or prescription medications may also be considered as part of pain management.
Activity and Weight Management: We may recommend maintaining a healthy weight, walking, low-impact exercise, good posture, and other changes that reduce unnecessary mechanical stress on the spine.
Spinal Injections: Steroid injections or facet joint injections may provide temporary relief by reducing inflammation around an affected joint. These injections can also help us confirm whether a specific facet joint is contributing to your pain.
Radiofrequency Ablation: If diagnostic nerve blocks confirm that pain signals are coming from a facet joint, radiofrequency ablation may be used to interrupt those signals. This treatment can provide longer-lasting relief for appropriately selected patients.
Conservative care cannot reverse established joint degeneration, but it can often reduce pain enough to improve daily function and help you avoid surgery.
We generally reserve spinal arthritis surgery for severe cases in which degeneration has contributed to another structural problem, such as spinal stenosis, instability, or persistent nerve compression.
Depending on your anatomy, treatment may include:
Spinal Decompression: Removes bone or other tissue that is narrowing the spinal canal or placing pressure on nerve roots.
Spinal Fusion: Stabilizes painful or unstable vertebral segments by joining them together. We may consider fusion when arthritis has contributed to significant instability or deformity.
Other Spine Procedures: The specific operation depends on the location and mechanical effect of the arthritis. Dr. Okubadejo evaluates the spinal discs, facet joints, nerves, alignment, and overall stability before recommending an invasive procedure.
Osteoarthritis can also affect joints outside the spine. Procedures such as joint replacement, joint fusion, arthroscopy, or osteotomy may be used for arthritis in other areas of the body, but spinal osteoarthritis requires a different surgical strategy based on the anatomy of the back or neck.
Recovery depends heavily on the treatment we recommend.
For patients receiving non-surgical treatment, physical therapy and consistent movement often remain central to long-term symptom control. Strengthening the muscles surrounding the spine can improve support, while stretching and mobility exercises may help reduce pain and stiffness.
We may also recommend maintaining a healthy weight, using good posture, adjusting repetitive activities, and staying physically active to reduce stress on affected joints.
Recovery after an injection or radiofrequency ablation is usually much shorter than recovery after spinal surgery. Patients who undergo surgery may need several weeks or longer before returning to unrestricted activity, depending on the procedure and the amount of healing required.
Our rehabilitation plans may include physical therapy, pain management, progressive exercise, and regular follow-up. We focus on restoring function safely while protecting the treated area as it heals.
At The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care, we treat patients with spinal osteoarthritis throughout New York and New Jersey under the direction of board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo.
Our evaluation focuses on identifying the actual source of your spine pain. Facet joint arthritis can occur alongside disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, nerve compression, or another condition, and those findings can change the treatment plan substantially.
We offer conservative treatment, diagnostic evaluation, pain management options, and surgical expertise within one spine-focused practice. Our approach emphasizes the least invasive treatment that can reasonably relieve pain and preserve function while recognizing when more advanced intervention is appropriate.
Persistent arthritis pain does not need to be managed by guesswork. Schedule a consultation with our team to have your symptoms, imaging, and treatment options evaluated together.
Dr. Okubadejo has hundreds of 5-star reviews.
The volume and consistency of five-star reviews speak to the trust patients place in his hands—and the life-changing results they experience.
★★★★★
Spinal osteoarthritis is primarily associated with gradual wear and tear of the joints. Age, previous injury, repetitive stress, excess body weight, genetics, and other forms of joint degeneration may increase risk. The facet joints in the neck and lower back are commonly affected.
Common symptoms include back or neck pain, stiffness, tenderness, reduced range of motion, and discomfort that worsens with certain movements. Bone spurs or joint enlargement can sometimes affect nearby nerves and cause numbness, tingling, weakness, or radiating pain.
Yes. Arthritis can cause facet joints to enlarge and bone spurs to develop. These changes may reduce space within the spinal canal or around the nerve roots and contribute to spinal stenosis.
We may consider surgery when severe arthritis contributes to nerve compression, spinal stenosis, instability, or persistent pain that has not improved with appropriate conservative treatment. The type of surgery depends on the specific structural problem.
Yes. We commonly use physical therapy to strengthen the muscles supporting the spine, improve mobility, and reduce mechanical stress on painful facet joints. It is often one of the first treatments we recommend.
Age-related joint degeneration cannot always be prevented. Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, using good posture, practicing safe lifting mechanics, and avoiding unnecessary repetitive strain may help reduce stress on the spine.
Recovery varies with the treatment. Physical therapy may continue for several weeks or longer, while injections and radiofrequency ablation generally involve relatively short recovery periods. Spine surgery requires a longer healing and rehabilitation period based on the procedure performed.
