For patients experiencing lower back pain, it can be difficult to navigate how to keep moving and exercising while minimizing or eliminating the pain. As bodies age, natural wear and tear on bones and joints can cause pain. Patients in New Jersey who experience back pain should visit a spine specialist to see what treatments are available. Here, Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics (CNSO) talks about a patient’s journey with lower back pain.
How Is Lower Back Pain Diagnosed?
There are many reasons a patient experiences lower back pain. The first step in diagnosing lower back pain is taking a complete medical history and a complete physical examination. This allows the spine specialist to see how limiting the patient’s movement is secondary to pain versus biomechanical dysfunction.
If the cause of a patient’s pain is not evident from a physical examination, the spine specialist may order one or more of the following tests to further diagnose:
- X-rays
- Computed tomography (CT) scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- Electromyography
Treating Lower Back Pain
Not all lower back pain is the same, and no single treatment option will work for every condition. A spine specialist may recommend physical therapy first. If no relief, then nonsurgical procedures but if the pain persists, surgery may be an option.
Nonsurgical Treatments for Lower Back Pain
Conservative treatments for lower back pain include:
- Anti-inflammatory medication: A spine specialist may recommend a patient take over-the-counter medication to help combat pain.
- Pain management: CNSO offers pain management options that include steroidal injections.
- Physical therapy: Through movement and stretches, patients with lower back pain may be able to experience pain relief.
- Posture improvements: Bad posture can cause lower back pain, so sitting up straight while working can lead to pain relief.
- Lifestyle changes: Everyday activities can cause lower back pain, including lack of exercise and using tobacco products. A patient’s medical team may suggest some lifestyle changes.
- Weight loss: If a patient is overweight, that can add unnecessary pressure on the lower spine. Losing weight can help relieve that pressure.
Surgical Treatments for Lower Back Pain
Surgical treatments are considered a last resort for patients with lower back pain. The CNSO medical team prefers to try nonsurgical treatments first. However, if surgical treatment is needed, patients can be sure they are in good hands with the surgeons at CNSO. Surgical treatments for lower back pain include:
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Neurosurgeons at CNSO are highly trained in minimally invasive spine surgery. This technique can be used to access and treat many spine conditions. Because the technique allows for a minimally invasive approach, there is less retraction on the surrounding muscles and there is less blood loss. This reduces muscle strain and tissue trauma. Other benefits include minimal scarring and significantly less post-operative pain, both allowing for quicker recovery.
Discectomy
A minimally invasive discectomy is a type of spine surgery that eliminates the pressure off the nerve or spinal cord. Often, the pressure is caused by a herniated or slipped disc.
Laminectomy
A laminectomy relieves pressure off a nerve or spinal cord from a misshapen lamina of the vertebral bone. The lamina can compress nerves and the spinal cord because of deformity, arthritis, bone spurs, degenerative diseases, and spinal infections.
Fusion Surgery
A minimally invasive fusion surgery restores the spine to a normal functional alignment after resolving any pinched nerves or pressure on the spinal cord and adjacent vertebral bones.
Decompression Surgery
Decompression surgery relieves pressure off the nerve or spinal cord.
Cervical Disc Replacement
Cervical disc replacement preserves mobility in the affected area. The procedure can treat several types of cervical degenerative diseases.
After a diagnosis of lower back pain, the neurosurgeons at CNSO will go over all treatment plans with a patient and together, produce a treatment plan for the patient’s lower back pain.
Lower Back Pain Conditions
Many conditions can cause lower back pain in a patient. Some of those include:
- Degenerative disorders: Age and lifestyle can cause arthritis to form within the spinal cord and joints. These include conditions such as bone spurs, sciatica, foraminal stenosis, spondylosis, or spinal stenosis.
- Disc disorders: Cartilaginous discs that are located between the vertebrae of the spine can misalign, herniate, bulge, tear, or wear out.
- Failed or revision back surgery: When a prior back surgery has failed to resolve a patient’s symptoms, a second back surgery may be needed.
- Motor vehicle or work-related accidents: Back injuries can happen after a car accident or an accident at work due to sudden impact or blunt trauma to the back or neck.
- Scoliosis: This occurs when the spine becomes deformed into an S-shape. It can affect an individual’s posture and cause uncomfortable symptoms.
- Spinal cord injury and fracture: Medical conditions, injuries, or accidents can lead to spinal cord compression or vertebral fracture.
- Spine deformities: This is when the spine develops a misshapen structure, causing pain and discomfort. This condition can be quite debilitating or problematic while exercising or sitting.
- Spine tumors: Tumors are growths found along the spine and are caused by the overproduction of either non-cancerous or cancerous cells.
The Patient Journey Starts at CNSO
The dedicated surgical and non-surgical team at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics understands how lower back pain can impact daily life. Patients will receive comprehensive and coordinated care so they can resume a healthy, less painful lifestyle free from disability. The CNSO team includes leading board-certified neurosurgeons, orthopedic spine surgeons, interventional pain management physicians, physiatrists, rehabilitation specialists, and certified physical therapists.
CNSO offers multiple locations across northern New Jersey, including Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Morris, and Hudson counties. Northern New Jersey patients can learn more about effectively treating neurological pain by contacting the doctors at CNSO today.
