What is facet hypertrophy?

Arthritis: The spine has disks and facet joints at each level. The disks in the front of the spine begin to wear initially. This is followed by loss of height at the disk and then the facet joints begin to wear out. The body builds bone spurs around the joint which is facet hypertrophy in an attempt to stabilize the joint. This is typical of arthritis in hips, knees, knuckles etc.