Back Pain Treatment

Medically reviewed by Joshua L. Hare, DO, Founder & Medical Director

Back pain, from a strained muscle to a failed surgery

Back pain is one of the most common[1] reasons people seek medical care and a leading cause of disability worldwide. At Interventional Pain Consultants, we specialize in diagnosing and treating all forms of back pain — from acute injuries and muscle strains to chronic conditions like degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and failed back surgery syndrome. Our fellowship-trained physicians use advanced diagnostic techniques including fluoroscopic imaging to identify the precise source of your pain, then develop a personalized treatment plan that may include epidural steroid injections, facet joint procedures, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation, or minimally invasive surgical options.

Back pain is a broad symptom: muscles, joints, discs and nerves can all be involved. Sciatica describes nerve pain traveling into the leg, while radiculopathy refers to a problem at a spinal nerve root. Back pain does not always involve either one, and sciatica can occur without back pain.[2]

Symptoms of back pain

Back pain covers a wide range of presentations, and the pattern usually says more than the severity does.

• Aching or stiffness across the lower back, often worse after sitting, standing or driving for a long stretch
• A sudden catch or spasm with bending, lifting or twisting
• Pain that eases when you change position, and returns when you hold one for too long
• Morning stiffness that improves once you move around
• Pain that travels — into the buttock, the hip, or down a leg — which suggests a nerve is involved rather than muscle or joint alone

Most episodes of new back pain improve substantially within a few weeks. Pain that has outlasted that window, or that keeps returning in flares, is a good reason to book an assessment.

When to see a pain specialist about back pain

Consider an evaluation when back pain has persisted beyond about six weeks, when it has started interfering with work or sleep, or when it has come back repeatedly despite physical therapy, medication or activity changes. A specialist evaluation is also reasonable earlier if pain is radiating into a leg, because that changes what is likely to help.

The purpose of the visit is to identify where the pain is coming from — a disc, a facet joint, the sacroiliac joint, or a compressed nerve root — because the effective treatment is different for each. Diagnostic injections under live X-ray guidance are one of the main ways that question gets answered.

Some symptoms need assessment the same day rather than an appointment: new difficulty controlling your bladder or bowels, numbness in the area that would contact a saddle, weakness in both legs, or back pain with a fever. These are uncommon, but they are treated urgently. Back pain after a significant fall, or new persistent back pain if you have a history of cancer or osteoporosis, should also be assessed promptly.

Treatment options for back pain

Back pain is not a single diagnosis, and the options below treat different causes of it — disc and nerve root pain, facet joint pain, spinal stenosis, and vertebral fractures. Working out which one applies to you is what the first visit is for.

References

Clinical sources for this page.

1. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. Back Pain. Back to first citation ↑
2. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Low Back Pain. Back to first citation ↑