Lower back pain is one of the most common conditions patients seek treatment for at Pain Management NYC. Poor posture, a sedentary lifestyle, muscle strains, heavy lifting, and injuries are just a few of the potential causes of lower back discomfort. Our board-certified specialists are dedicated to providing both new and existing patients the most advanced treatment options, ranging from minimally invasive procedures to interventional therapies.
Lower back pain is a common problem in the United States. It affects as many as eight out of 10 adults at some point in their lives. It’s listed as one of the biggest reasons people miss work. Visits to doctors are often triggered by people looking for someone who can relieve the unrelenting discomfort of chronic lower back pain. And the pain management doctors in New York know how to get rid of lower back pain.
Sometimes called lumbar pain, lower back pain refers to pain in your lumbar spine, which consists of the five vertebrae between your ribs and your pelvis. While a few causes of lower back pain may go away on their own, severe lower back pain or pain that isn’t relieved by rest, ice or over-the-counter pain medication needs to be evaluated by one of the experienced pain doctors at pain clinic NYC.
Common Causes of Lower Back Pain
There are many different causes for pain in your lower back, usually related to an injury or to degenerative disc disease. The most common causes of lower back pain include:
- Osteoarthritis. The aging process can cause this condition in which you experience pain, inflammation and instability in your lower spine.
- Spondylolisthesis This is a painful condition caused by one vertebrae slipping over the next one.
- Sacroiliitis. Inflammation of your sacroiliac joints, where your spine and pelvis connect, can trigger low back pain.
- Scoliosis. This and other conditions that cause spinal curvature create discomfort in your lower back.
- Spinal stenosis. A narrowing of the space within your spine can put pressure on nerves throughout your spinal column. This may cause pain or numbness in your legs as well.
- Kidney infection or endometriosis. A kidney stone can happen to anyone, but only women can get endometriosis. Both may cause lower left back pain and both are less common.
- Disc injury or degeneration. The discs that create a cushion between your vertebrae can deteriorate, rupture or bulge, resulting in severe pain.
- Underlying medical conditions. Conditions such as infections or tumors happen, but they’re less common causes of lower back pain.
- Appendicitis or kidney stones. These medical conditions can result in , lower right back pain.
- Injury to muscles or ligaments. A sudden movement or lifting a heavy object can cause an injury in your lower back. You can also injure your muscles, tendons or ligaments if you experience a vehicle accident, sports injury or fall, any of which leads to back discomfort.
Risk Factors for Developing Lower Back Pain
Although lower back pain can happen to anyone, there are certain factors that increase your risk of developing it. As you get older, you may have less bone strength or muscle tone, and that can increase your risk of back pain or injury. This is especially true if you are overweight or out of shape.
Frequent heavy lifting or constantly pushing and pulling with your spine can increase your risk of injuring your back. Smoking is a contributing factor because it makes it hard for your body to deliver nutrients to your spinal discs. Some conditions that cause back problems are hereditary, such as osteoarthritis or disc disease.
How to Relieve Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain treatment depends on the cause of your back pain. Your doctor may recommend more conservative, less invasive treatments at first. Before trying any home remedies, however, you need a firm diagnosis from the top rated back pain doctors in New York to ensure you don’t cause more damage. These treatments include:
- Physical therapy, including stretching and strengthening exercises, which may bring some relief as a method of lower back pain treatment or sacroiliitis treatment
- Over-the-counter pain relievers to reduce the amount of pain you experience
- Hot and cold packs to limit pain and inflammation in your back
- Back brace, which reduces your pain and provides comfort for conditions that don’t respond to rest
For lower back pain relief when your pain is severe, your NYC pain management doctor may prescribe pain medications or muscle relaxants. Epidural steroid injections reduce inflammation and reduce pain for periods of time, but the relief isn’t permanent. A nerve block can act as a diagnostic test or a treatment to kill your pain. Other possible treatments include a VIA Disc Allograft, spine facet injection, radiofrequency ablation, and the Intracept Intraosseous Nerve Ablation.
If your lower back pain doesn’t improve after six to 12 weeks of treatment, you may want to consider minimally invasive back surgery, such as IDET, undergoing a lumbar discectomy, having a MILD procedure, or getting an intrathecal pain pump implanted.
If you need treatment for lower back pain, visit Pain Management NYC at one of our convenient locations in Midtown Manhattan, the Bronx or Queens. Our board-certified specialists offer the most effective treatment options tailored to your specific case, ranging from conservative care to surgical interventions. While surgery is rarely the first resort, the majority of lower back conditions can be successfully managed with pain medication, corticosteroids, physical therapy, and dedicated rehabilitation.
Written by Dr. Leon Reyfman, MD, FIPP, RPh
(Pain Management Doctor)