Back pain is one of the most common medical problems, affecting 8 in 10 people at some point in their life. When it comes to back pain, one size does not fit all. Not only can pain occur anywhere in the spine or in adjacent muscles, but it can vary dramatically in intensity and frequency. Since the spine is the shell that protects the most vital elements of the central nervous system, back pain of any kind can be a warning sign of a serious injury. Some causes of back pain can cause permanent spinal or nerve damage if left untreated.
To properly diagnose your back pain, we need to consider the area of discomfort and the symptoms of pain. The following are common causes of back pain among our patients at Comprehensive Spine Care in Westwood, NJ.
Different Types of Back Pain
Muscle Strain
A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon. Tendons are tough bands of fibrous tissue that connect muscles and bones. When a back strain occurs, the muscles and tendons that support the spine twist, pull or tear. Muscle tension is one of the most common types of back pain because it is often caused by prolonged sitting. Working in an office or living a sedentary lifestyle can put a lot of stress on your lower and upper back muscles and lead to axial pain. This type of pain causes dull aches with the occasional violent twitches in the problem area.
Flexion-Dominant Back Pain
Flexion-dominant back pain is often associated with disc damage. Signs and symptoms of this type of back pain include leg pain, spine pain, tingling or numbness, leg weakness, loss of range of motion, and pain when coughing or sneezing. Disc injuries cause pain symptoms to worsen with lifting, bending, and sitting. The most effective treatment for flexion-dominant pain is stretching or directed exercises that you can do regularly throughout the day.
Inflammatory Back Pain
Inflammatory back pain is another fairly common type of back pain. Some 60 million Americans struggle with chronic inflammation. Inflammatory back pain is caused by excessive inflammation of the joints in the spine. This type of back pain is more common in people under the age of thirty-five and lasts for three months or more. Stiffness and back pain are worse in the early morning and evening and can even lead to immobility. Patients must maintain a regular exercise routine to reduce stiffness and manage pain.
Chronic Back Pain
Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists for more than 3 months due to an underlying medical condition. Chronic pain does not cause life-threatening health problems, but can be difficult to live with. Many chronic pain disorders, such as fibromyalgia, result from a cognitive malfunction. This disorder amplifies pain perception by affecting the way the brain and spinal cord process pain and non-pain signals.
Other chronic conditions like scoliosis are caused by problems with the shape or strength of the spine itself. This can cause your entire spine to feel sore, with an extremely throbbing dull ache around the problem. Chronic diseases are as diverse as their treatments. Even if pain persists, it doesn’t always mean there is a serious medical cause or one that can be easily identified and treated. In some cases, treatment can successfully relieve chronic back pain, while in other cases, the pain persists despite medical and surgical treatments.
If you are experiencing any type of back pain near Westwood, NJ call 201-634-1811 to make an appointment with Comprehensive Spine Care. We have over 20 years of experience treating various causes of back pain including degenerative disc disorders, sports, and work-related spine injury, scoliosis, tumor surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and cervical disc replacement.
