Lower Back Pain Q & A
What causes lower back pain?
Lower back pain can be the result of an injury or degenerative condition that affects your lumbar (lower) spine. Acute pain in your lower back that lasts just a few weeks is often the result of strains in the muscles that support your spine.
When you have chronic lower back pain that lasts longer than six months, it may be due to:
- Sciatica
- Arthritis
- A herniated disc
- Nerve compression
- Degenerative disc disease
Fibromyalgia pain can also spread into your lower back and limit your spine’s flexibility and range of motion.
How is lower back pain diagnosed?
During your diagnostic evaluation for lower back pain, your DYNAMIC Pain and Wellness provider works to identify the root cause of your pain and rule out other underlying conditions that contribute to back issues.
They use on-site X-rays and other diagnostic imaging tests to confirm a herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, or arthritis. You may need blood work to rule out infections and inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
How is lower back pain treated?
The goal of treating lower back pain is to reduce the need for surgery while ensuring you find long-lasting relief of pain.
Treatment options the team at DYNAMIC Pain and Wellness offers to treat lower back pain include:
Facet joint injections
A facet joint injection delivers anesthetic and steroid medications into the facet joints of your spine, the small joints that provide your spine with stability and flexibility.
To ensure the precise delivery of the injection, the providers use real-time X-ray technology (fluoroscopy) to guide the needle into place.
Epidurals
An epidural is an injectable therapy that delivers anesthetic medications into the epidural space of your spine. The medicines disrupt nerve signals from traveling to your brain to ease chronic lower back pain.
Radiofrequency ablation
Radiofrequency ablation is a nonsurgical procedure that treats the nerves responsible for persistent pain. The procedure involves inserting a needle into the treatment area. Electric currents of energy move through the needle to burn the nerve which prevents the transmission of pain signals.
Regenerative medicine
Regenerative therapies, using stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), contain growth factors that stimulate the production of new, healthy cells. Stem cells can regenerate into new bone, muscle, and nerve cells to repair damage in your lower spine.
For chronic lower back pain caused by degenerative conditions, you may benefit from the use of a spinal cord stimulator.
Your DYNAMIC Pain and Wellness provider works closely with you to determine the best course of treatment for your pain. They also help restore your full range of motion in the spine with physical therapy, so you can get back to your usual activities without limitations or surgery.
To find out more about treatments for persistent lower back pain, call the DYNAMIC Pain and Wellness office nearest you or book an appointment online today.
