Back pain can be acute, meaning it lasts six weeks or less, or it can be chronic, meaning it lasts three months or longer. One of the frustrating aspects of back injury treatment is the difficulty in identifying an exact cause, which is why it pays to rely on the best New York back injury center.
Some common culprits of back injuries include:
- Bulging or ruptured discs
- Sciatica or pinched nerves that cause weakness, numbness, and tingling to run down the backs of your leg
- A pulled muscle or ligament strain from repeated lifting or awkward motions
- Radiculopathy or the inflammation and compression of a spinal nerve root
- Osteoarthritis that can include the narrowing of the space around the spinal cord
- Spondylolisthesis, a condition that causes the vertebrae of your lower spine to slip out of place
- Skeletal irregularities such as scoliosis or a curvature in the spine
- Osteoporosis or the weakening of the bones that make up your spine
- Trauma due to falls, accidents, collisions or blows
You may be at a higher risk for a back injury if you:
- Are older than 35 or 40
- Don鈥檛 exercise regularly
- Are pregnant
- Are obese
- Have a disease such as arthritis or cancer
- Have been diagnosed with osteoporosis
- Regularly lift heavy items improperly
- Live a primarily sedentary lifestyle
- Suffer from depression or anxiety
- Smoke cigarettes
- Have a personal or family history of steroid use, cancer or excessive drug or alcohol use
Symptoms Requiring Back Injury Treatment
Back injury symptoms may develop slowly over time or occur suddenly. Whether because of gradual wear-and-tear or from a traumatic injury, certain common characteristics occur.
Tell your injury doctor in New York if you experience a:
- Shooting or stabbing pain anywhere along your spine or down one or both arms or legs
- Muscle ache that鈥檚 dull, but constant
- Pain that intensifies with bending, walking, lifting or standing
- Pain that often improves when reclining with your feet elevated
Don鈥檛 wait to call on an injury doctor near you if you require back injury treatment because you鈥檙e experiencing:
- Severe lower back injury pain that doesn鈥檛 improve with rest
- Sudden bowel or bladder problems
- A fever along with the back pain
- Pain that includes one or both of your legs or discomfort that spreads below your knees
- An unexplained, noticeable weight loss
- Pain accompanied by tingling, numbness, or weakness in one or both legs or arms
Diagnosis and Treatment Options
Back pain specialist in Midtown conducts a physical exam to determine your range of mobility and the exact location and symptoms of your pain. He conducts a detailed medical history to rule out possible contributing or originating conditions.
Your pain management doctor may also order:
- Blood tests to rule out infections
- X-rays, MRI or CT to look for structural abnormalities
- Abone scan to test for weakening bone conditions
- Nerve studies, such as an electromyography or EMG
Low back injury treatment, mid-back injury treatment and upper back injury treatment begins with the most conservative and least invasive methods first. Proper rest, heat or ice, gentle stretching, light activity such as walking, and anti-inflammatories often resolve minor-to-moderate back injury concerns.
If your pain worsens or continues after several weeks, other options include:
- Medications, such as muscle relaxants, anti-seizure drugs, topical pain relievers, certain anti-depressants that treat pain conditions, or occasionally narcotics
- Trigger point injections
- Cervical epidural steroid injections
- Lumbar epidural steroid injections
- Thoracic epidural steroid injections
- Spine facet injections
- Radio frequency ablation
Surgery is a last resort, used only when your pain is severe and unrelenting. Your doctor only recommends surgery if your pain seems to be progressing, along with a general weakening of your muscles and structures. Doctors at the best pain clinic in NYC rely on minimally invasive spinal surgery techniques to minimize pain and restore full functions.
To prevent further back injuries, your pain management doctor may counsel you to:
- Maintain a healthy weight and proper posture
- Incorporate proper lifting techniques along with strengthening exercises and flexibility movements to keep muscles healthy and strong
- Regularly exercise to keep muscles and tissue loose and comfortable
- Stop smoking to improve blood flow
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Boleslav Kosharskyy, MD
(Pain Management Doctor)