Back Pain Treatment In Westlake And Avon Ohio

Orthopaedic Associates, Inc. has an excellent orthopedic team comprised of 13 board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeons who deeply care for our patients. We take your treatment seriously and will stop at nothing to ensure you find relief.

If you are ready to say goodbye to back pain, call us today at 892-1440 to make an appointment. You can also request an appointment online. We look forward to serving you in our Westlake and Avon clinics!

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What Are The Treatments For Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain usually gets better with rest, ice and over-the-counter pain relievers. After a few days of rest, you can start to get back to your normal activities. Staying active increases blood flow to the area and helps you heal.

Other treatments for lower back pain depend on the cause. They include:

• Medications: Your provider may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or prescription drugs to relieve pain. Other medications relax muscles and prevent back spasms.
• Physical therapy : PT can strengthen muscles so they can support your spine. PT also improves flexibility and helps you avoid another injury.
• Hands-on manipulation: Several hands-on treatments can relax tight muscles, reduce pain and improve posture and alignment. Depending on the cause of pain, you may need osteopathic manipulation or chiropractic adjustments. Massage therapy can also help with back pain relief and restore function.
• Injections: Your provider uses a needle to inject medication into the area thats causing pain. Steroid injections relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
• Surgery: Some injuries and conditions need surgical repair. There are several types of surgery for low back pain, including many minimally invasive techniques.

Chronic Back Pain Treatment Options Whats Best For You

Home / News / Chronic Back Pain Treatment Options Whats Best For You?

If you are struggling with back pain in Central Pennsylvania, youre part of a vast group. Around 80 percent of adults, at some point in their lives, experience back pain. Its one of the most common contributors to missed work days and job-related disability, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke . The Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania provides chronic pain treatment options at our eight locations, including conservative methods and surgical procedures if needed.

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Ways To Treat Chronic Back Pain Without Surgery

Back pain is considered chronic if it lasts three months or longer. It cancome and go, often bringing temporary relief, followed by frustration.Dealing with chronic back pain can be especially trying if you dont knowthe cause.

Back pain rehabilitationspecialistAndrew Nava, M.D., offers insights into common chronic back pain causes and nonsurgicaltreatment optionsand advises not to give up hope.

Pain Due To Arthritis Trauma Or Degeneration That Affects The Spine And Surrounding Tissues

The spine is a vital structure that supports the body while providing enough flexibility for movement. The spine is divided into the neck , middle back , and lower back . Areas that sustain a lot of twisting and bending, such as the lower back, are most likely to get injured. It is estimated that 80% of the population will have lower back pain, or lumbago, in their lifetime.

80% of adults will experience back pain in their lifetime.Take the FREE back pain risk assessment to understand your risk factors, and aid in preventing complications in the future.

While some back pain episodes improve with rest, anti-inflammatories and other conservative treatments, back pain can become severe and chronic. A pain specialist can treat this type of pain with minimally invasive procedures that calm the pain and allow you to strengthen and recondition.

Contact National Spine & Pain Centers toschedule an appointment with an affiliated pain specialist for Back Pain treatment today.

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Low Back Pain Surgery

Spine surgery is not necessary for most people who have lower back pain. If you do need it, your doctor will recommend an appropriate procedure to address your specific symptoms and medical situation. Common spine surgeries include:

. Two or more vertebrae are permanently fused together to limit excess spinal motion. Your surgeon will use a combination of bone, bonelike material, screws, plates and rods to hold the vertebrae together so they can heal into a single unit. Spinal fusion may be done to correct spinal deformities or to increase the spines stability in severe cases of spinal osteoarthritis or herniated discs.

. Laminectomy is a surgery in which your surgeon removes the back portion of one or more vertebrae to create more space for the spinal cord or other nerves. In people with severe arthritis, bone spurs within the spinal canal can grow large enough to press on the spinal cord, causing pain and limiting mobility. In a similar surgery known as laminotomy, your surgeon will remove a small piece of bone called the lamina from the back of the vertebra.

What Causes Lower Back Pain

Many injuries, conditions and diseases can cause lower back pain. They include:

• Strains and sprains: Back strains and sprains are the most common cause of back pain. You can injure muscles, tendons or ligaments by lifting something too heavy or not lifting safely. Some people strain their back by sneezing, coughing, twisting or bending over.
• Fractures: The bones in the spine can break during an accident, like a car crash or a fall. Certain conditions increase the risk of fractures.
• Disk problems: Disks cushion the vertebrae . Disks can bulge from their position in the spine and press on a nerve. They can also tear . With age, disks can get flatter and offer less protection .
• Structural problems: A condition called spinal stenosis happens when the spinal column is too narrow for the spinal cord. Something pinching the spinal cord can cause severe sciatic nerve pain and lower back pain. Scoliosis can lead to pain, stiffness and difficulty moving.
• Arthritis: Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis to cause lower back pain. Ankylosing spondylitis causes lower back pain, inflammation and stiffness in the spine.
• Disease:Spine tumors, infections and several types of cancer can cause back pain. Other conditions can cause back pain, too. These include kidney stones and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
• Spondylolisthesis: This condition causes the vertebrae in the spine to slip out of place. Spondylolisthesis leads to low back pain and often leg pain as well.

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When Is The Right Time To Seek Help For Your Pain

Dr. Dowdell says its rare that anyone comes to him after a week of back pain. Its more common that people have been living with pain for months or even years, and finally they decide theyve had enough.

As with many health conditions, though, the sooner you get seen by a doctor, the better. If you get help within the first few weeks or months of having ongoing pain, you might be able to prevent it from becoming a lifelong battle, he says.

Whats more, having spine pain for a long time can create pain pathways from your back to your brain, says Dr. Dowdell. As pain signals travel back and forth, the pathways get more and more well established, which can make pain harder to treat later on.

A final note from Dr. Dowdell: Whenever you decide to seek help, you should understand that treatment may be a bit of a journey.

Youre not going to walk into the doctors office and walk out with a quick diagnosis, he says. When youre in pain, that message can be hard to hear. But treating back pain is something that needs to be done one step at a time.

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What Is Lower Back Pain

Low back pain can result from many different injuries, conditions or diseases most often, an injury to muscles or tendons in the back.

Pain can range from mild to severe. In some cases, pain can make it difficult or impossible to walk, sleep, work or do everyday activities.

Usually, lower back pain gets better with rest, pain relievers and physical therapy . Cortisone injections and hands-on treatments can relieve pain and help the healing process. Some back injuries and conditions require surgical repair.

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Prevention Of Back Pain

You may be able to prevent back pain from overuse or improper body mechanics. The following recommendations can help you have a healthy back and lifestyle:

• Perform regular exercise that keeps your back muscles strong. Exercises that increase balance and strength can decrease your risk of falling and injuring your back or breaking bones. Exercises such as tai chi and yoga or any weight-bearing exercise that challenges your balance are good ones to try. Remember to warm up before exercise or other physical activities.
• Eat a healthy diet that includes enough calcium and vitamin D, nutrients that keep your spine strong.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can put unnecessary and injury-causing stress and strain on your back.
• Practice good posture and avoid slouching. Try to remember to support your back when sitting or standing.
• Avoid lifting heavy items whenever possible. If you do lift a heavy item, use your leg and abdominal muscles instead of your back.

When To See An Orthopedic Doctor For Back Pain

Back pain is a fairly common occurrence, especially among active adults and the elderly. The pain can come and go, or it may persist. Sometimes it can be hard to determine whether it warrants medical attention.

Here are a few guidelines to help you decide when to see an orthopedic doctor. An orthopedic doctor specializes in the health of bones and joints and can diagnose and treat back pain that is caused by a variety of musculoskeletal ailments.

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What Causes Back Pain

Prevention is always the best form of protection when trying to maintain good health, not least when protecting your back. Sadly, it is stated that around 90% of all patients never discover the root cause of their back pain. Some of the most common reasons, however, are listed below. The list includes

• Sitting at a poorly designed workstation, with over half of cases linked to sitting at a desk or office jobs.
• Stress, which is directly shown to increase the risk of suffering back pain and musculoskeletal issues.
• Muscle injuries and tendon injuries, particularly those that cause inflammation in the lower back region.
• Underlying healthy conditions including but not limited to Fibromyalgia and Osteoporosis.
• Arthritis, which is experienced by over 54 million Americans, can cause stiffness in the back as well as joints.

Understanding the reason for your back pain is a crucial step that will subsequently enable you to highlight the best back pain management techniques for your personal needs. It can also enable experts to investigate and rule out any linked conditions.

When Surgery Is Necessary

When conservative treatment for low back pain does not provide relief or neurologic symptoms are worsening or severe, surgery may be needed. Candidates for surgery present any of the following:

• Reasonably good health
• Back and leg pain limits normal activity or impairs quality of life
• Progressive neurologic deficits develop, such as leg weakness, numbness or both
• Loss of normal bowel and bladder functions
• Difficulty standing or walking
• Medication and physical therapy are ineffective

If surgery is recommended, neurosurgeons have a variety of options available to help relieve pressure on the nerve roots. If several nerve roots and discs are causing the pain or if degeneration and instability exist in the spinal column, the neurosurgeon may choose: a minimally invasive approach a more open decompression or fusing the vertebrae together with bone grafts and stabilizing them with instrumentation, including metal plates, screws, rods and cages, depending on the extent of disease. After such surgery, patients may gain restored mobility in the back, including the ability to bend over. In addition, patients may require postoperative physical therapy.

The benefits of surgery should always be weighed carefully against the risks. Although a large percentage of patients with low back pain report significant pain relief after surgery, it is not guaranteed that surgery will help.

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Family Doctor Or General Practitioner

Most back pain problems are first addressed in the office of an individuals general practitioner or primary care doctor. This is because it is often a pain problem that goes on for a length of time prior to the individual asking for help with it.

The most likely course of treatment if your family doctor is prescribing it will be medication therapy and/or physical therapy regimens. Your general practitioner will likely not be as well appraised of treatments for specific back pain problems as their specialist counterparts, so they might opt to order some tests to confirm their suspicions and then use those findings to refer you to one of the specialists listed below.

Diagnosing Low Back Pain

Diagnosis is made by a neurosurgeon based on history, symptoms, physical examination and results of diagnostic studies. Some patients may be treated conservatively if conservative treatment is ineffective, the physician may order imaging studies of the lower back and other tests, which may include:

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When To See A Doctor

There is not always an obvious cause of lower back pain, and it often gets better on its own. Resting, trying hot or cold therapy, taking OTC pain relievers, and gently stretching may help speed up recovery.

However, a person should see a doctor for lower back pain that is severe, does not seem to be getting better, or occurs alongside other concerning symptoms, such as tingling or numbness down the legs.

People with lower back pain should seek immediate medical attention if they also have any of the following symptoms:

• difficulty walking or moving the legs
• loss of bowel or bladder function
• loss of sensation in the legs
• very severe pain

A doctor can help a person identify potential causes of lower back pain and recommend appropriate treatment.

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What Can I Expect From A Pain Management Doctor

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Chronic pain affects millions of Americans, negatively impacting their energy levels and overall quality of life. But they dont have to suffer alone. Pain management clinics are designed to address the unique needs of chronic pain sufferers, providing diagnosis of and treatment for chronic pain with either a targeted or comprehensive full-body approach. If you or a loved one suffer from chronic pain, heres what you need to know about pain management doctors and how they can help:

What does a pain management doctor do?

Pain management doctors specialize in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of pain, especially for patients with chronic pain that is difficult to diagnose. Once the doctor identifies the source of your pain, they can develop a treatment plan that works best for you. Treatment may involve physical therapy, medication, or chiropractic care, as well as nonmedical interventions such as yoga, meditation or dietary changes.

Types of pain treated by a pain management doctor

The list of medical conditions that can lead to chronic pain is long, but the types of pain treated by pain management doctors typically fall into three main categories: direct tissue injury, nerve injury, or a combination of both.

Examples of conditions that cause direct tissue injury pain:

• Rheumatoid arthritis

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Dorsal Pain Relief Medications Review

As with the other two platforms on this list able to provide prescriptions, Dorsal provides opioid-free pain management medication options for those who are interested.

These include:

• Muscle relaxers Muscle relaxers such as baclofen, cyclobenzaprine, and tizanidine can be effective at relieving muscle spasms and pain.
• Nerve pain medications Nerve pain medications such as gabapentin and pregabalin can help to relieve neuropathic pain.
• Oral anti-inflammatory drugs These can help to reduce inflammation and pain, and include drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen.
• Topical anti-inflammatory drugs These are applied directly to the skin and can be helpful for joint pain or back pain.
• Corticosteroids These are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that can be taken orally or injected directly into the affected area.
• SNRI & TCA medications SNRI and TCA medications can help to relieve nerve pain.

Dorsal also offers monthly doctor visits, physical therapy, and health coaching to help you manage your chronic pain.

Imaging And Blood Tests

Most people do not need additional testing however, sometimes doctors order tests to rule out a specific cause for your pain or to confirm a cause for your back pain. Your doctor may order the following.

• X-rays only show bones and can help diagnose:
• Broken bones or fractures.
• Changes due to aging.
• Changes in the alignment of the spine.

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