Back Pain
Back pain is presently one of the most common reasons that people see a doctor. Even more so, it is an extremely common problem leading to missed work days as well as the leading cause of disability worldwide! The good news? There are fortunately many ways to prevent as well as treat most instances of back pain! When prevention is not enough, many times at home treatment is enough including simple exercises, proper body mechanics, stretching, sometimes over the counter medications as well as TIME (about 6-8 weeks typically depending on the injury). It’s important to find a pain management specialist near you to get the right diagnosis and treatment!
What are the different types of back pain?
- Acute: Sudden and intense pain that typically lasts for a few days to a few weeks. Usually because of an injury, heavy lifting, or even simple sudden movements.
- Chronic: Persistent pain that lasts for 12 weeks or longer. Common causes can include arthritis, herniated discs, or even spinal stenosis.
- Radicular: Also known as sciatica, radiates down the leg through the sciatic nerve, causing severe sharp and often intolerable symptoms
It is important to take care of acute pain while focusing on correcting the problem BEFORE it becomes a notably worse, chronic issue. Unfortunately this becomes MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO TREAT.
Back Pain Symptoms
Common symptoms
- aching muscles
- shooting
- burning
- hot or burning
- stabbing sensations
- Symptoms can be in the back only (localized)
What are more serious symptoms?
- weakness in one or both legs
- sudden severe debilitating pain
- inability to walk
- sudden loss of bowel or bladder function
- numbness in the “saddle” area (think of riding a horse)
- numbness or tingling in your arms or legs
What Causes Back Pain?
- Muscle or ligament strain: lifting, twisting, or sudden movements can as a result lead to muscle or ligament strain. Slouchy posture or repetitive movement can cause this too.
- Bulging or ruptured disks: Disks act as cushions between the bones (vertebrae) in your spine. The soft material inside a disk can bulge or rupture and press on a nerve
- Arthritis: Osteoarthritis can affect the lower back. In some cases, arthritis in the spine can lead to a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord, a condition called spinal stenosis.
- Skeletal irregularities: Conditions like scoliosis (a curvature of the spine) can cause back pain if they compress nerves or strain muscles and ligaments.
- Osteoporosis: Bones, including the vertebrae of the spine, become brittle and porous (think of Swiss cheese), making fractures more likely.
- Poor posture: Slouching, standing or sitting for long periods in an improper position, or sleeping on an unsupportive mattress
- Injuries: Trauma from accidents, falls, or sports can cause fractures, sprains, tears and spasms.
- Medical conditions: Kidney stones, infections, or tumors
- Lifestyle factors: Being overweight, smoking, not exercising regularly, and wearing high heels can all contribute
Most mild to moderate back pain can surely be treated at home with NSAIDS (anti-inflammatories) advil or analgesics like tylenol, ice, heat, rest as well as light stretching and most importantly, TIME.
In many cases, symptoms will gradually subsides with self-care and home treatments over the course of a few weeks. However, it doesn’t always resolve on it’s own, in this case it may be time to reach out to your doctor.
When should I see a doctor for back pain?
- Prolonged symptoms which exceeds a few weeks.
- Intense pain that doesn’t improve with typical rest.
- Pain radiating down one or both legs, especially if it extends below the knee.
- Weakness, numbness, or tingling in one or both legs.
- Back pain coupled with unexplained weight loss.
- Weakness in one or both legs
- Sudden severe debilitating pain
- Inability to walk
- Sudden loss of bowel or bladder function
- Numbness in the “saddle” area (think of riding a horse)
- Numbness or tingling in your arms or legs
What does a Pain Management Specialist Do?
Pain management specialists are highly trained and certainly experienced in diagnosing many conditions. The priority is improving the quality of life for patients and as a result, returning patients back to their normal activities as soon as possible. At Treasure Valley Pain Center, we use a functional medicine model, not only do we look at the root cause and other contributing causes, we also have a goal of full recovery and/or resolution of the problem. We order tests as well as prescribe medications, provide different types of injections; spine, trigger point, medial branch blocks, botox for migraines, nerve blocks, and others for the purpose of diagnosing and treating a particular problem. Functional medicine means we look outside the traditional box of medicine, we will also consider weight loss as a treatment option (click the link to read about obesity and how it relates) because obesity is a major contributor to pain and immobility.
What happens at your first pain management appointment?
- Collect a thorough history of symptoms while also considering previous treatments
- Evaluation and exam
- Order diagnostic tests if needed: X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, blood tests or nerve studies
- Prescribe medications to help with pain as well as inflammation and/or spasm
- Decide when to refer to physical therapy, chiropractic, accupuncture etc.
- Order or perform injections into the spine, muscles, joints etc.
- When appropriate, refer to a surgeon
At TVPC we specialize in pain management in the Meridian, Boise, Eagle, Nampa, and surrounding areas.
Anna Martsenyuk, APRN, CNS-BC with over 10 years of experience including a variety of spine conditions as well as chronic pain syndromes, fibromyalgia, migraines, arthritis and many more.
Tatiana Khochay, APRN,CRNA, NSPM-C with over 15 years of anesthesia experience, and specially trained in non surgical pain management
It’s important to find a Pain specialist near you that can efficiently identify the RIGHT CAUSE and administer the RIGHT TREATMENT. All in all, understanding the symptoms as well as getting the right diagnosis is crucial in managing chronic pain effectively all while also determining the appropriate course of action for treatment. With all this in mind, we are here to help!
Pain Management Meridian Idaho
Treasure Valley Pain Center is a Functional Medicine Clinic that opened February 2024! Even though our building is new, our knowledge and background is EXTENSIVE with over 10 years of experience, which is something we LOVE to brag about. We are currently serving the Meridian, Boise, Eagle, Nampa, Caldwell and the surrounding Treasure Valley and have now also opened our doors to SELF-REFERRALS!
What is functional medicine?
Functional medicine is a holistic approach which focuses on understanding the root causes of disease, as a result, treating the whole person, rather than just managing symptoms. It is patient-centered, holistic, comprehensive care that aims to promote health and wellness by addressing the root cause of illness and pain.
Functional Medicine is
- Holistic
- Personalized
- Root cause focused
- Multi-modal
- Patient centered
- Evidence based
- Collaborative/shared decision making approach
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Happy Healing!
Treasure Valley Pain Center Family
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