Back Pain Treatment
Acute and chronic back pain, from a muscle strain to failed back surgery, evaluated and treated at five clinics across North Georgia & East Tennessee.
Conceptual illustration
Medically reviewed by Joshua L. Hare, DO, Founder & Medical Director
Back pain, from a strained muscle to a failed surgery
Back pain is a symptom with several possible sources: the muscles, the discs, the small facet joints, the sacroiliac joint or a compressed nerve root. It is one of the most common[1] reasons people seek medical care. It can start suddenly with a muscle strain, build over years with degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis, or continue after spine surgery. At Interventional Pain Consultants, treatment is matched to the source once it has been identified, and may include epidural steroid injections, facet joint procedures, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation or a minimally invasive spine procedure.
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]
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Insurance we acceptSymptoms 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.
Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection
A lumbar interlaminar epidural steroid injection delivers corticosteroid medication into the epidural space of the lower...
Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection
A transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) delivers medication directly to a specific nerve root as it exits...
Lumbar Facet Joint Injection
A lumbar facet joint injection delivers a combination of local anesthetic and corticosteroid directly into one or more...
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) uses mild electrical impulses delivered through small leads placed in the epidural space...
Kyphoplasty
Balloon kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that treats vertebral compression fractures by using an inflatable...
MILD Procedure
The MILD (Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression) procedure treats lumbar spinal stenosis by removing small amounts of...
Percutaneous Disc Decompression
Percutaneous disc decompression is a minimally invasive procedure that removes a small amount of disc material from a...
Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) — also called radiofrequency denervation, neurotomy or lesioning — uses controlled...
Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation
Lumbar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) interrupts the medial branch nerves that carry pain from arthritic facet...
TENS Therapy
TENS — transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation — delivers a mild electrical current through electrodes placed on...
Thoracic Radiofrequency Ablation
Thoracic radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treats mid-back pain coming from arthritic facet joints in the thoracic...
Caudal Epidural Injection
A caudal epidural injection delivers steroid medication into the epidural space through the sacral hiatus (an opening...
References
Five clinics
Back pain treatment in North Georgia and East Tennessee
Pain management specialists accepting new patients at five clinics.