Lower back pain is the most commonly experienced pain and can seriously alter one’s activities of daily living. It oftentimes becomes a chronic problem. If you have lower back pain that isn’t getting better. Robert Odell, MD, and the team at Associated Pain Specialists in Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee, can provide a range of advanced treatments that could aid in relief from the misery of lower back pain. Call Associated Pain Specialists today to find out more.
Lower Back Pain Q & A
What causes lower back pain?
Lower back pain has multiple causes. Some causes are from internal organs, for example, a kidney infection that causes intense back pain. However, lower back pain is most commonly due to a musculoskeletal condition or injury.
Injuries resulting in sudden onset of lower back pain, such as muscle strains or sprains are due to sudden movements or poor body mechanics while performing activities such as heavy lifting. These injuries likely result in acute back pain that will resolve within a few days to a few weeks.
Lower back pain that persists for longer than three months may indicate a more serious condition. Chronic lower back pain is often caused by wear-and-tear, overuse, poor posture, or repetitive injury to the spinal nerve, tendons, muscle, and structure of the low back region. In these cases, musculoskeletal conditions/diseases develop.
Although most patients develop musculoskeletal conditions over time, some people are born with diseases/conditions of the spine that may not cause them pain until later life.
What musculoskeletal conditions cause lower back pain?
There are several conditions that might affect your spine or the surrounding tissues and cause lower back pain. These include:
- Degenerative disc disease
- Bulging or herniated discs
- Spinal stenosis
- Nerve root compression
- Scoliosis
- Arthritis of the vertebrae joints or Spondylosis
- Spondylolisthesis
How is lower back pain treated?
Before devising a treatment plan, your provider at Associated Pain Specialists will need to evaluate you to determine the cause of your pain. This could involve diagnostic testing such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, or a diagnostic medial branch nerve block.
Once your pain source is diagnosed, a treatment plan will be developed and discussed with you as to the best outcome for your condition. The first line of treatment, if not already tried are more conservative approaches such as physical therapy, nonnarcotic medication, and/or advanced back bracing. If these treatments fail then more advanced care may be needed such as epidural injections, radiofrequency ablation, or a sciatic nerve block.
Wherever possible, the medical team at Associated Pain Specialists uses the least invasive options to relieve your lower back pain. If these treatment options have not adequately controlled the pain then the next option may be a spinal cord stimulator.
If you have persistent lower back pain, call Associated Pain Specialists today to make an appointment.
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