What is lower back pain?
Lower back pain can occur anywhere in your body above your legs and below your ribs. This common complaint disrupts the lives of approximately 31 million men and women at any given moment.
When you have lower back pain, it can develop in several areas, including your:
- Tendons and ligaments
- Vertebrae
- Intervertebral discs
- Blood vessels
- Muscles
You can also develop lower back pain because of your spinal cord or spinal nerves.
What causes lower back pain?
You can have low back pain for several reasons, but the most common cause of acute symptoms are car accidents and sports injuries. You can also develop acute pain from strains or sprains from lifting heavy objects using an improper technique.
When you have chronic low back pain, it’s often the result of degenerative conditions, like osteoporosis, spinal stenosis, and arthritis. It’s also possible to have lower back pain because of health issues like kidney stones or fibromyalgia. In rare cases, lower back pain develops because of scoliosis, inflammation and infections, or tumors.
How is lower back pain diagnosed?
Dr. Buenaventura can diagnose low back pain by discussing your symptoms, performing a physical exam, and reviewing your personal and family medical history. Based on his findings, he might recommend additional screenings like X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs to look for irregularities, or tests that check your nerve function. Dr. Buenaventura might also measure the electrical activity in your muscles.
How is lower back pain treated?
After reaching a diagnosis, Dr. Buenaventura works closely with you to outline the most effective interventional pain management strategy available based on the cause of your condition. These treatments can vary from noninvasive to minimally invasive options, such as:
- Hot or cold therapy
- Physical therapy
- Ultrasound therapy
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy
- Anti-inflammatory medication
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
- Nerve blocks
Dr. Buenaventura also offers spinal cord stimulation (SCS), an implantable device that disrupts the pain signals going to your brain. Spinal cord stimulation usually doesn’t eliminate your pain completely, but by disrupting the pain messages going to your brain, it can significantly reduce their sensations.
In most cases, Dr. Buenaventura suggests SCS if you’ve tried other pain management solutions without success.
To find non-narcotic relief for your lower back pain, call Pain Relief of Dayton or schedule an appointment online today.
