Back pain
affects 80% of all people during their lifetime. The pain may be
anything from annoying to completely debilitating. Injuries, accidents,
conditions and illnesses can all cause symptoms of back pain that may be
persistent, mild or severe. Each cause has its own set of associated
symptoms, along with the treatments that work best. A pain specialist is
a type of doctor who diagnoses and treats all types of conditions and
injuries of the spine.
Anatomy of the Back
The backbone is a column made up of 33 bones called vertebrae which are stacked one on top of the other and extend from the base of the skull to the pelvis. A disc with a sponge-like consistency sits between each vertebra to act as a shock absorber. The spinal cord runs along the length of the spine, surrounded by the vertebrae and cartilage that protect it. Depending on the area of the spine, there are different names for the vertebra. The seven vertebrae at the neck are cervical vertebra, with twelve vertebrae below these to the lower back being the thoracic vertebrae. The lumbar vertebrae are the five largest of all those in the spine and they are located at the lower back while the sacrum and coccyx make up the base of the spine with five and four fused vertebrae respectively.
The majority of patients experience lower back pain that results from:
• Muscular strains - when movement leads to tears in the muscle
• Herniated discs - the DISC moves out-of-place and compresses spinal nerves
• Spinal stenosis - the spinal canal becomes narrow due to various changing conditions in the spine
• Osteoarthritis - cartilage degenerates between the discs in the vertebrae, allowing the vertebrae to rub together leading to inflammation, stiffness and back pain
There are also a number of diseases that cause pain such as:
• Scoliosis - an abnormal curvature of the spine
• Spondylolisthesis - when one of the vertebrae slips out-of-place and onto the vertebra beneath it
• Arthritis - both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can result in back pain
• Pregnancy - from the pressure on the back from the weight of the developing fetus
Regardless of the cause of back pain or how sever the pain is, a pain specialist can provide the proper treatment to make the condition more tolerable. In many cases, the cause of pain is never determined. For these patients, the treatment will be determined by the area where the pain occurs and the degree of pain the person is feeling.
Today's back pain specialist has a wide array of treatment tools available to provide relief for patients with pain. Some of their options include:
• Medications including over-the-counter NSAIDs and prescription opioid painkillers
• Chiropractic Care
• Electrical Nerve Stimulation
• Nerve Blocks
• Acupuncture
• Injections
• Surgery
Pain can interfere with your ability to perform your work or to enjoy many of the activities that you have always performed before you were in pain. A back pain specialist can provide you with the treatment you need to enjoy a better quality of life.
Anatomy of the Back
The backbone is a column made up of 33 bones called vertebrae which are stacked one on top of the other and extend from the base of the skull to the pelvis. A disc with a sponge-like consistency sits between each vertebra to act as a shock absorber. The spinal cord runs along the length of the spine, surrounded by the vertebrae and cartilage that protect it. Depending on the area of the spine, there are different names for the vertebra. The seven vertebrae at the neck are cervical vertebra, with twelve vertebrae below these to the lower back being the thoracic vertebrae. The lumbar vertebrae are the five largest of all those in the spine and they are located at the lower back while the sacrum and coccyx make up the base of the spine with five and four fused vertebrae respectively.
The majority of patients experience lower back pain that results from:
• Muscular strains - when movement leads to tears in the muscle
• Herniated discs - the DISC moves out-of-place and compresses spinal nerves
• Spinal stenosis - the spinal canal becomes narrow due to various changing conditions in the spine
• Osteoarthritis - cartilage degenerates between the discs in the vertebrae, allowing the vertebrae to rub together leading to inflammation, stiffness and back pain
There are also a number of diseases that cause pain such as:
• Scoliosis - an abnormal curvature of the spine
• Spondylolisthesis - when one of the vertebrae slips out-of-place and onto the vertebra beneath it
• Arthritis - both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can result in back pain
• Pregnancy - from the pressure on the back from the weight of the developing fetus
Regardless of the cause of back pain or how sever the pain is, a pain specialist can provide the proper treatment to make the condition more tolerable. In many cases, the cause of pain is never determined. For these patients, the treatment will be determined by the area where the pain occurs and the degree of pain the person is feeling.
Today's back pain specialist has a wide array of treatment tools available to provide relief for patients with pain. Some of their options include:
• Medications including over-the-counter NSAIDs and prescription opioid painkillers
• Chiropractic Care
• Electrical Nerve Stimulation
• Nerve Blocks
• Acupuncture
• Injections
• Surgery
Pain can interfere with your ability to perform your work or to enjoy many of the activities that you have always performed before you were in pain. A back pain specialist can provide you with the treatment you need to enjoy a better quality of life.
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