Why do I have back pain?
There are a number of reasons why you might have back pain. Sometimes it's due to an internal disorder like a kidney infection, but most back pain develops because of a problem with your musculoskeletal system, such as fractured vertebrae, torn or strained muscles, disc problems, or pinched nerves.
Some of the conditions that most commonly cause back pain include:
- Spinal stenosis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Herniated disc
- Sciatica (lumbar radiculopathy)
- Cervical radiculopathy
- Scoliosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Bone spurs
- Vertebral compression fractures
These conditions generally cause chronic pain, often due to pressure or irritation of the nerves in and around your spine. Injuries to your back from overexertion, poor posture, lifting heavy weights, moving awkwardly, falls, and other traumas are also common, but tend to result in acute pain.
Most spinal disorders and injuries tend to cause lumbar (lower back) pain or cervical (neck) pain.
How is back pain treated?
Like most musculoskeletal disorders, back pain usually requires a course of physical therapy to ease inflammation and help the tissues to heal. Physical therapy is also vital to prevent injured tissues and keep the muscles from shortening or stiffening and making you even more immobile.
You might also benefit from taking medication to reduce pain and inflammation, along with passive treatments such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), laser therapy, massage, or therapeutic ultrasound.
When these treatments fail to relieve your back pain, other options include:
- Epidural steroid injections
- Nerve blocks
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Spinal cord stimulation
Some patients might require surgery to relieve their back pain.
What type of surgery might I need for back pain?
Surgery for your back pain aims to address the cause of your problem, so if you have a herniated disc that's pressing on a nerve, disc decompression surgery might be necessary.
Some of the advanced surgical procedures the Apex Spine and Neurosurgery team specializes in include:
- Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF)
- Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF)
- Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF)
- Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF)
- Anterior cervical disc fusion (ACDF)
- Microdiscectomy
- Artificial disc replacement
- Laminotomy
- Vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty
Advances in technology and new approaches to spine surgery enable the surgeons at Apex Spine and Neurosurgery to perform these procedures using minimally invasive techniques in most cases. That means less pain, shorter recovery, minimal scarring, and fewer risks compared to open surgery.
Find out how you can put back pain behind you by calling Apex Spine and Neurosurgery today or booking an appointment online.
