4 Exercises for Lumbar Facet Joint Pain (Low Back Joints)

Lumbar facet joint pain is a common source of lower back discomfort, typically presenting as unilateral, localized pain that may radiate a few inches outward but doesn’t follow a nerve root distribution. It often worsens with spinal extension, rotation, or prolonged standing or walking, and may feel stiff first thing in the morning or after inactivity. The pain originates from the small joints at the back of the spine—called facet joints—which can become irritated due to compression, degenerative changes, or excessive mechanical stress.

In this video, we’ll cover four exercises that can help reduce facet joint pain in the low back. More specifically, you’ll learn exercises that focus on lumbar flexion mobility, reducing spinal erector muscle tone, lumbar stabilization, and gentle active spinal flexion and extension mobility to reduce pain, improve mobility and enhance overall function. By improving mobility and neuromuscular control in the surrounding musculature, these strategies will help reduce pain, improve spinal support, and help you return to daily activities with greater confidence and less discomfort.

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00:00 Introduction
00:16 What is facet joint pain?
01:10 Exercise 1: Lumbar Flexion Stretches
02:27 Exercise 2: Spinal Extensor Mobilization
04:18 Exercise 3: Lumbar Flexion-Extension Mobility
05:41 Exercise 4: Marching Bridge
07:31 The Facet Joint Pain Program in My Book