Chronic back pain can be debilitating, affecting daily life and productivity. The Center for the Functional Restoration of the Spine specializes in comprehensive solutions, offering personalized treatment plans to address the root causes of back pain and improve overall spinal function.
Back Pain
The back is one of our most important anatomic structures, providing support and facilitating mobility and balance for the entire body, as well as protecting the spinal cord. Because of the loads placed on it each and every day, it's no surprise this well-designed structure, consisting of bones (vertebrae), discs, muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves, is particularly susceptible to injury and other conditions that may have you reaching for the heating pad - or your doctor's phone number.
Other causes of back pain include:
Mechanical Disorders
Many people who suffer from back problems are experiencing mechanical pain, which means that a specific part of their spine, such as an intervertebral disc, a ligament, or a joint is damaged and is not working correctly. Examples of spinal mechanical disorders include degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, spondylolysis/spondylolysthesis, arthritis and spinal stenosis.
Developmental Disorders
Developmental disorders of the lower back are caused by abnormalities in the formation and growth of the skeleton. Although the treatment for many of these conditions is conservative, surgery may be required to keep some disorders from worsening, and in order to prevent long-term disability and or deformity. Scoliosis and kyphosis are examples of developmental disorders of the spine.
Inflammatory and Infectious Disorders
Infections of the spinal column are not common, but they are important because they are difficult to diagnose and there are serious consequences in the delay of an accurate diagnosis.
Tumors
Cancers and tumors of the spine and spinal cord are relatively rare. The most common symptom that patients with a spinal tumor have is pain. Because back pain is very common, it is also not a specific symptom of any one disease or medical condition.
Trauma
Trauma to the spine refers to injury that has occurred to the bony elements, soft tissues and/or neurological structures, resulting in instability of the vertebral column and actual or potential neurological injury.
Back Pain Q & A
What's causing my back pain?
What treatments are available for back pain?
What kind of surgery might I need for back pain?
What's causing my back pain?
Back pain can sometimes be a symptom of an internal disease, but more often than not, it's a result of damage to your musculoskeletal structures. Common examples include strained muscles, pinched nerves, and problems with the discs that provide cushioning between your vertebrae. These injuries are often due to overexertion, lifting without using the right technique, awkward movements, falls, and sports injuries. Chronic back pain frequently arises from disorders such as:
- Spinal stenosis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Facet joint syndrome
- Osteoarthritis
- Herniated discs
- Sciatica (lumbar radiculopathy)
- Cervical radiculopathy
- Scoliosis
- Spondylosis
- Vertebral compression fractures
- Kyphosis
To diagnose the cause of your back pain, your provider at the Center for the Functional Restoration of the Spine performs a comprehensive physical examination and review of your medical history and symptoms. They might order diagnostic tests such as X-rays, CT or MRI scans, a bone scan, discogram, or myelogram, and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) tests along with an electromyogram.
What treatments are available for back pain?
The Center for the Functional Restoration of the Spine team uses conservative treatments for most patients with back pain. Physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and approaches like acupuncture are often very effective in reducing pain and improving function. For patients whose back pain doesn't improve after a course of conservative treatment, there are further measures that can help. These could include:
- Epidural steroid injections
- IDET (intradiscal electrothermal therapy)
- Percutaneous disc nucleoplasty
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty
When your condition isn't responding to any other approaches or in cases where the cause of your back pain isn't treatable using other means, surgery might be necessary.
What kind of surgery might I need for back pain?
The expert team at the Center for the Functional Restoration of the Spine use minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) techniques and robotic surgery wherever possible to reduce tissue damage. These methods have significant benefits for patients as they cause less pain, bleeding, and scarring, and wounds heal much more quickly. Some of the surgeries for back pain that the team performs regularly include:
- Microdiscectomy
- Artificial disc replacement
- Laminotomy
- Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF)
- Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF)
- Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF)
- Endoscopic decompression
- Dekompressor discectomy
If you have back pain that's severe, disabling, or isn't responding to simple self-care measures, the Center for the Functional Restoration of the Spine team can help. Call the office or schedule a consultation online today.
