Back Pain Specialist

What is back pain?

Back pain is discomfort in any part of your back: upper, mid, or lower. Acute pain can come on suddenly, and it lasts a few days or weeks, but long-lasting (chronic) back pain lingers for more than three months. Pain specialists at Maryland Pain & Wellness Center help determine what’s causing back pain and offer you relief.

What are the symptoms of back pain?

Back pain can present in numerous forms. Examples include:

• Dull, aching pain
• Mid-back pain (thoracic pain)
• Low back pain (lumbar pain)
• Sharp or severe pain
• Muscle aches
• Shooting or stabbing pain
• Pain radiating down your leg
• Pain that improves when you recline
• Pain that gets worse with lifting, standing, walking, or bending
• Pain after spinal surgery

The type of back pain you experience is an indication of which injury or disease you may have. If symptoms last more than a few days or are severe, see your pain specialist for an evaluation.

What causes back pain?

Many diseases and injuries can cause back pain. Examples include:

• Thoracic or lumbar disc herniation
• Thoracic or lumbar spondylosis/facet joint pain
• Thoracic or lumbar radiculopathy
• Thoracic or lumbar spinal stenosis
• Failed spine surgery (post laminectomy syndrome)
• Vertebral compression fracture
• Sciatica, scoliosis, arthritis, or osteoporosis
• Muscle or ligament strains
• Bulging or ruptured discs

To determine the cause of back pain, your pain specialist reviews your symptoms and medical history. They may use blood tests, nerve studies, a bone scan, or imaging tests (X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, etc.) to make a diagnosis and develop a personalized treatment plan for you.

How is back pain treated?

Depending on your injury, your pain specialist might recommend one or more of the following back pain treatments:

Medications

Your doctor may suggest taking over-the-counter or prescription oral or topical medicines that reduce inflammation, relax your muscles, and ease the pain.

Physical therapy

Physical therapists at Maryland Pain & Wellness Center work with you to strengthen and stretch your neck and back to stimulate healing, relieve chronic pain, and prevent future injuries.

Alternative medicine

In some cases, you can achieve back pain relief with alternative therapies. Examples include massage, chiropractic care, acupuncture, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and yoga.

Injections

The pain management team at Maryland Pain & Wellness Center offers pain injections containing steroids, nerve blocks, or numbing agents for pain relief. They might inject medicine into the epidural space around your spinal cord to reduce inflammation and discomfort. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) uses platelets from your blood to stimulate healing naturally.

Spinal cord stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation uses a small device that your doctor places beneath your skin to deliver electrical pulses to the spinal cord to reduce or block pain signals.

Radiofrequency techniques

Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat to stop or reduce pain signal transmission. 

Intrathecal infusion pumps

Your pain doctor may surgically implant an intrathecal infusion pump, or pain pump, into the area near your spine to slowly release pain-relieving medicine over a period of time.

Surgery

Back surgery is rare but sometimes necessary to fully restore spinal function and relieve chronic back pain. Your doctor lets you know if you’re a good candidate for back surgery. Any pain related to narrowing of your spine, a herniated disc that hasn’t responded to other treatments, or severe nerve compression might warrant surgery.

If you have long-lasting or severe back pain, you don’t have to suffer. Schedule an appointment with Maryland Pain & Wellness Center over the phone or online today.