Back Pain Mitigation
5 Most Common Causes of Back Pain
Treating your spinal issues may lead to freedom from other persistent problem areas in the body. Hips, shoulders, neck, and many other joint issues may find their root cause in a misaligned or damaged spine.
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Introduction
The human spine, much like the foundation of your home, can experience significant, long-term trouble with the smallest of cracks or misalignments. Far beyond mere localized discomfort, pain leads to compensation, and compensation cascades into even more pain elsewhere in the body.
Thankfully, the opposite is also true. Treating your spinal issues may lead to freedom from other persistent problem areas in the body. Hips, shoulders, neck, and many other joint issues may find their root cause in a misaligned or damaged spine.
Take your next steps toward understanding the source of your chronic pain. Chances are it’s a result of one of these five most common causes. Once you’ve worked with your practitioner to identify your pain’s cause, you can start on the path toward lasting healing.
Thankfully, the opposite is also true. Treating your spinal issues may lead to freedom from other persistent problem areas in the body. Hips, shoulders, neck, and many other joint issues may find their root cause in a misaligned or damaged spine.
Take your next steps toward understanding the source of your chronic pain. Chances are it’s a result of one of these five most common causes. Once you’ve worked with your practitioner to identify your pain’s cause, you can start on the path toward lasting healing.
We Are Here To Answer All Your Questions
1. Car Accidents
Many individuals don’t experience pain in the first few days after the car wreck, so it is common for people to walk away thinking the accident had little to no impact on their body. But over the course of the following week, symptoms can evolve into something you might regret not having had treated sooner.
Injured persons commonly experience a peculiar numbness and tingling sensation in the feet, and often have trouble standing and/or sitting in the same position for prolonged periods.
Solutions:
Something as simple as a car accident can manifest in a myriad of unique spinal issues, most of which are internal anatomical disruptions. You may look just fine, but it will take a professional to diagnose the true state of your condition.
The practitioner’s first approach is to identify what the patient was doing at the moment of impact. Were they looking over their shoulder when they crashed? What was the angle of impact? Did they have the seatbelt on? Did the airbag go off? Don’t be alarmed if you feel bombarded by a series of questions like this. It’s an essential part of the healing process.
After your initial examination, further testing may be necessary:
Injured persons commonly experience a peculiar numbness and tingling sensation in the feet, and often have trouble standing and/or sitting in the same position for prolonged periods.
Solutions:
Something as simple as a car accident can manifest in a myriad of unique spinal issues, most of which are internal anatomical disruptions. You may look just fine, but it will take a professional to diagnose the true state of your condition.
The practitioner’s first approach is to identify what the patient was doing at the moment of impact. Were they looking over their shoulder when they crashed? What was the angle of impact? Did they have the seatbelt on? Did the airbag go off? Don’t be alarmed if you feel bombarded by a series of questions like this. It’s an essential part of the healing process.
After your initial examination, further testing may be necessary:
- X-Rays
- MRI
- CAT Scan
- Diagnostic Blocks
The very best approach is to group imaging together, which provides a more holistic picture of the state of your back. Then, when your physician fully understands you, treatment can begin.
For car accident victims, healing can be fairly simple. Your practitioner will likely recommend some combination of physical therapy, injection therapy, and/or home exercises, all the while avoiding excess pain medication.
For car accident victims, healing can be fairly simple. Your practitioner will likely recommend some combination of physical therapy, injection therapy, and/or home exercises, all the while avoiding excess pain medication.
2. Sciatica
Sciatica stems from compression of the sciatic nerve, a condition with many different causes:
- Naturally forming disc bulge
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Personal injury from a fall or sporting event
- Side effects from an old surgery
Since sciatica is fundamentally nerve-related, individuals suffering from it often find that the pain is constant, unable to find any position to provide relief. They experience constant discomfort or pain in the back, buttock, thigh, and even some cases down to the feet, regardless of any attempt to alleviate the pain. Contrast to the pain, they may experienced a debilitating weakness in the back as well.
Solutions:
Treatment of sciatica focuses on achieving lasting relief as soon as possible, employing several different techniques:
Treatment of sciatica focuses on achieving lasting relief as soon as possible, employing several different techniques:
- Cold compresses
- Physical therapy (then potential muscle relaxers)
- Trigger injection
- Diagnostic injection
- Epidural injection
3. Herniated Disc
Herniated discs most commonly arise from events such as a hard fall, or complications after a surgery. While the nature differs significantly from sciatica, its causes and symptoms can be quite similar. As a result, is it especially vital to your recovery to properly identify the true cause of your pain.
Solutions:
Many of the same treatments for sciatica will also function effectively for herniated disc recovery, but if unsuccessful, it may be appropriate to explore a few other therapeutic modalities to help you avoid surgery.
Examples of such treatments include:
Solutions:
Many of the same treatments for sciatica will also function effectively for herniated disc recovery, but if unsuccessful, it may be appropriate to explore a few other therapeutic modalities to help you avoid surgery.
Examples of such treatments include:
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Intradiscal procedures
4. Arthritis
Arthritis tends to pop up on every joint pain list like this. Whether it’s repeated injuries over the years, or the inevitability of old age, the causes to arthritis are almost impossible to avoid.
Individuals suffering from arthritis experience a deep ache in their back after long periods of activity, but also have intolerable pain after simply walking or sitting in a single position for too long. Everyday activities quickly lose their joy and pleasure as the everpresent pain continues to intensify over time.
Solutions:
Pain doesn’t have to be the end of the story though. Many patients reach long-term relief from their arthritic pain, using fairly noninvasive treatments:
Individuals suffering from arthritis experience a deep ache in their back after long periods of activity, but also have intolerable pain after simply walking or sitting in a single position for too long. Everyday activities quickly lose their joy and pleasure as the everpresent pain continues to intensify over time.
Solutions:
Pain doesn’t have to be the end of the story though. Many patients reach long-term relief from their arthritic pain, using fairly noninvasive treatments:
- Anti-inflammatory medication
- Injection therapy (minimally invasive radiofrequency ablation)
In light of arthritis’ ubiquity, these treatments are covered by all insurances, including Medicare.
5. Previous Back or Spinal Fusion Surgery
One reason minimally invasive treatments are so important is that surgery so often leads to further complictions, either exaserbating your current condition, or creating new ones altogether. Back pain in particular carries this risk.
Usually within 5-6 years of the initial surgery adjacent level disease can develop, especially from back and spinal fusion surgery. Pain typically arises in the back itself, or carries all the way down the leg.
Solutions:
Currently the two most effective solutions for this condition are:
Usually within 5-6 years of the initial surgery adjacent level disease can develop, especially from back and spinal fusion surgery. Pain typically arises in the back itself, or carries all the way down the leg.
Solutions:
Currently the two most effective solutions for this condition are:
- Neuropathy
- Spinal cord stimulation (neuromodulation)
Make sure to speak with a back pain specialist to properly identify the source of your back pain. While lists like this are helpful to understand the potential causes of your condition, effective treatment can only begin when the nuance of your body’s pain is fully understood.
Meet Our Doctors
About The Authors
About Dr. Amit Mirch:
Dr. Amit Mirchandani is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He continued his training at Yale University in New Haven, CT where he completed his Anesthesiology residency. He further specialized in Interventional Pain Management by completing an ACGME accredited fellowship at Rush University in Chicago, IL. He is double board certified in both Anesthesiology & Pain Management.
About Dr. Jayen Patel:
Dr. Patel is a graduate of Boston University, School of Medicine. He continued his training at Mt Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan, NY where he completed a year of General Surgery training. He furthered his specialization in Anesthesiology at New York University and is Board Certified in Anesthesiology.
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