facet joint injury

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I have another visit to my orthopedic doc next week and am going to bring up the possibility I may have a facet joint injury in my thoracic spine.

I was hit by a drunk driver a few weeks ago and have done close to eight weeks of physical therapy. It's helped all of my other injuries, except for a deep, strong ache that intermittantly occurs in a very localized area between my shoulder blades. It accompanied by a cracking noise it that same area when I move certain ways and occasionally when I take a deep breath. I do seem to have the various symptoms of this type of injury, but my physical therapist said it's possible, but less common to sustain those types of injuries in the thoracic region, as opposed to the neck or lower back.

Just curious if anyone else has dealt with something similar before. And, is a cortisone shot into the affected area the best way to diagnose this? I'm not too keen on that idea.

This doesn't have to do with your question, but sorry you had to go through that. It must have been scary.

Thanks, Ria

I don't know much about facet joint injuries, but I do have experience with back injuries and rehab. Once your doctor narrows down your diagnosis hopefully I can be of help. Hang in there and feel better.

I've had spinal injuries and injuries to my knee and core which have prevented me from walking in the past. Yes, a cortisone shot is probably the best way, I also suggest that you participate in a Yoga class now that you are on road to recovery. It will really help condition your spine, core and neck and prevent injuries that could occur in the future.

Try doing some light thoracic spine exercises and see if there is any improvement.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnMVds3soEc&feature=related[/youtube]

My ortho doc I saw last week just told me that I "probably" had permanent joint damage and that injections would be the next step. He actually told me I should quit physical therapy because it wouldn't help and I would basically just have to live with the pain. But, quite honestly, he didn't really listen to much of anything I said and I don't trust his opinion.

My bf thinks he's a quack and encouraged me to get a second opinion from someone better, so we're going to the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania on Thursday. Hopefully I can get some clarification on what's going on and maybe a CT scan or something. My strong preference is for conservative measures and I don't want to start injections, which can have side effects, without actually knowing what is wrong. When I have really bad flare-ups, I seem to get a lot of inflammation in the area and it actually feels very tender to the touch, so I'm doing a pretty aggressive anti-inflammatory diet right now and started taking Zyflamend a few days ago. Crossing my fingers that helps me manage it better.

@Wolfheart: Thanks for your advice. How are you doing with your injuries now?