Lower back pain is one of the most common causes of disability in the United States, affecting more than three-fourths of the population at some point. Francisco del Valle, MD, and the pain management specialists at HealthCare Pain Centers LLC understand the toll chronic back pain can take on a person. At their offices in Old Bridge, Edison, and Freehold, New Jersey, the practice provides a comprehensive approach to all types of back pain. Call Healthcare Pain Centers LLC or schedule an appointment online today to learn more.
The back stretches from the neck to the pelvis and plays a critical role in your stability, flexibility, and movement. With numerous vertebrae (spinal bones), muscles, tendons, and nerves, the back is vulnerable to many types of pain.
Common causes of back pain include:
The discs between the vertebrae in your spine provide cushioning and flexibility.
These discs consist of two main parts: a soft center and a rigid outer shell. Small cracks in the outer casing, from age, repetitive stress, or an underlying condition, can cause the center to push through. The result, a herniated disc, may irritate surrounding nerves and cause pain.
A compression fracture is a bone break from pressure between vertebrae. This type of fracture is most common in the thoracic spine, the middle of your back, but can develop throughout the entire structure.
The sciatic nerve begins in your lower back (lumbar spine) and stretches down the back of your hips, buttocks, and thighs. Compression of this long nerve typically causes lower back, hip, or thigh pain and tingling and numbness in the affected leg.
When a muscle strains or tears, pain and inflammation can develop in any part of your back. Lower back strains are prevalent and are typically the result of sudden twisting movements or lifting heavy objects.
Spinal stenosis causes your spine to narrow and compress the nerves inside of it, leading to chronic back pain.
Arthritis happens when your joints swell. Inflammation in the back joints can result from cartilage loss around the affected bone (osteoarthritis) or an autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis).
Diagnosing back pain always involves a physical exam and medical history review. Your pain specialist at Healthcare Pain Centers LLC may also order an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan.
The practice offers electromyography (EMG) to test your neuromuscular function. An EMG helps diagnose chronic nerve damage.
Healthcare Pain Centers LCC takes a comprehensive approach to low back pain that includes, but isn’t limited to these treatments:
To learn more about back pain and the treatments available, call Healthcare Pain Centers LLC or schedule an appointment online today.
