PAINS WE TREAT
Back Pain
Back pain can affect people of all ages for a variety of reasons. You may become more susceptible to lower back pain as you get older due to factors such as previous occupation and degenerative disk disease.
Your back is a complex structure that comprises muscles, ligaments, tendons, disks, and bones that collaborate to support the body and allow you to move.
The segments of the spine are cushioned by disks, which are cartilage-like pads.
Back pain occurs when these components encounter problems. In some cases, the cause of back pain is unknown.
Here are a few of the back injuries that we currently treat:
- Spinal compression fractures
- Muscle problems
- Kyphosis
- Disc herniation
- Spondylolisthesis/Spondylosis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Lordosis
- Scoliosis
Low Back Pain
Three common classifications of back pain include:
- Axial pain. Also called mechanical pain, axial pain is confined to one spot or region. It may be described a number of ways, such as sharp or dull, comes and goes, constant, or throbbing. A muscle strain is a common cause of axial back pain as are facet joints and annular tears in discs.
- Referred pain. Often characterized as dull and achy, referred pain tends to move around and vary in intensity. As an example in the lower back, degenerative disc disease may cause referred pain to the hips and posterior thighs.
- Radicular pain. Commonly described as electric shock-like or searing, radicular pain follows the path of the spinal nerve as it exits the spinal canal. This type of pain is caused by compression and/or inflammation to a spinal nerve root. In the lower back (lumbar spine), radicular pain may travel into the leg. Other terms for radicular pain are sciatica or radiculopathy (when accompanied by weakness and/or numbness). It can be caused by conditions such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis.
Although low back pain can be quite debilitating and painful, in approximately 90% of cases, it is temporary and pain improves without surgery. However, 50% of patients who suffer from episodes of low back pain will have recurrent episodes within one year. Low back pain is considered to be chronic when it persists for more than 12 weeks.
Most acute low back pain results from injury to the muscles, ligaments, joints, or discs. The body also reacts to injury by mobilizing an inflammatory healing response. While inflammation sounds minor, it can cause severe pain. A degenerated or torn lumbar disc can feel the same as a pulled muscle, both creating inflammation and painful muscle spasm in the same area. Muscles and ligaments heal rapidly, while a torn disc may or may not. The time course of pain helps determine the cause.
You don’t have to live with Back Pain. Make an appointment with the team at Florida Spine and Pain Institute to treat your shoulder today.