What causes low back pain?

It’s estimated that 80% of adults in the United States experience low back pain at some point in their life, and it’s one of the leading causes of job-related disability.

Some of the most common causes of low back pain are:

• Muscle strains
• Arthritis
• Nerve compression
• Herniated spinal disc
• Skeletal irregularities such as scoliosis
• Narrowing of your spinal column referred to as spondylosis
• Injury
• Disease

Muscle sprains and strains are the most common cause of acute low back pain, which is pain that lasts for only a few weeks. If your low back pain lingers, you may have something more serious going on that requires further intervention.

How is low back pain diagnosed?

To identify the source of your low back pain, your Pain Medicine Group physician conducts a thorough examination that includes a physical and, in some cases, additional tests such as:

• X-rays, an MRI, or a CT scan
• Electrodiagnostic studies to test your nerve signals
• Bone scan
• Ultrasound
• Blood work

During your examination, your physician also asks about the onset of your symptoms and any related injuries.

How is low back pain managed?

The experts at Pain Medicine Group offer a number of conservative and interventional treatments for managing low back pain, including physical therapy, traction, and transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS), which sends low-level electric shock waves to the site of your pain to reduce discomfort.

If you don’t find relief from conservative measures, your pain management specialist may recommend injections that reduce pain or inflammation, such as a lumbar selective nerve root block or a sacroiliac (SI) joint injection.

For most patients, the Pain Medicine Group team use a combination of conservative and interventional treatments to manage low back pain.

What can I do to prevent low back pain?

If you suffer from recurrent low back pain, the team at Pain Medicine Group may recommend steps to protect your back and prevent pain. This may include working with a physical therapist to improve your posture or strengthen your core muscles for better back support.

For relief from your low back pain, call the team at Pain Medicine Group today or schedule an appointment online.

What other medical issues do we treat?

At Pain Medicine Group, we treat a wide range of medical issues including:

• Arm Pain
• Arthritis pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Degenerative Disc
• Disc Herniation
• Fibromyalgia pain
• Foot pain
• Headache
• Hip pain
• Knee pain
• Leg pain
• Low back pain
• Migraines
• Neck pain
• Nerve pain
• Neuropathy
• Radiculopathy
• Sciatica pain
• Shoulder pain