An aching, throbbing, or sharp pain in your back isn’t something to ignore. While back pain is something many people suffer from, there’s never a good reason not to take action to improve it. In nearly all cases, there is something wrong structurally that is causing the pain you feel. If your pain is debilitating and you are unable to move, immediate medical care is best. And, for those struggling with an ache or constant level of pain, our back pain doctor in New York City is here to help you find a way to resolve the problem.
Why Does Your Back Hurt?
The back is a complex area of the body with multiple muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons running throughout it. Each one of them is near nerves that send a message to your brain when something is wrong. And, there’s often plenty of reason why your back may hurt. For example, you may have twisted or turned in the wrong direction, straining a muscle. In other cases, your back pain may be due to poor posture, straining to lift something, or unsupportive shoes. In still other cases, it could be due to an injury or an illness. Because back pain is complex, you shouldn’t ignore it and instead you should turn to a local NYC back pain doctor for treatment right away.
Aren’t Back Aches Just A Sign of Getting Old?
Many people do not seek out medical care for back pain because they think they can just deal with it or that it is a common problem “everyone” has. However, when there are pain signals being sent to your brain like this, there’s a cause. You don’t have to live with back pain whether it is acute and severe or mild and chronic. If you do not get medical help for your back pain, you may find yourself unable to function the way you used to and it can become much worse than it is today. Treatment options are available for many people suffering from this type of condition, though. Seek out medical care from our NYC back pain team.
Back pain is one of the most common reasons why people seek medical care. At Rehabilitation Medicine Center of New York, we routinely treat back pain patients who have suffered an on-the-job or accident-related injury. We strive to reduce your pain, improve or restore your functional abilities and return you to full activity as soon as is reasonable.
Pain may fluctuate between mild, moderate, and severe. Characteristics often include deep aches, stabbing pain, or throbbing. Pain may affect your posture, ability to stand up from a seated position, roll over in bed, and bend forward. Basically, pain can interrupt everyday activities, and alter your mood and ability to concentrate.
Does my back pain require immediate medical care?
When back pain develops suddenly for no apparent reason or after an accident, it is normal to feel upset or scared. It is your health, and that makes it important! The list below can help you determine if your back pain requires urgent care.
- Back pain after injury: a fall, car or industrial accident
- Persistent back pain that doesn’t stop or worsens.
- Pain moves into your extremities: arm or leg
- Extremity numbness, tingling sensations, weakness
- Buttock and/or genital area numbness, tingling
- Back pain with a fever
- Bowel or bladder dysfunction
Diagnostic examination
The purpose of a diagnostic examination is to learn about your general health, lifestyle, past medical history, and current back problem. The information gathered by our staff during your exam is combined with imaging or other test results to confirm your diagnosis.
Questions our Doctors may ask include:
- When did your back pain start?
- Did a particular event precede back pain?
- Has your pain improved or worsened?
- Does back pain radiate into another part of your body?
- On a scale of zero (no pain) to 10 (agony), what is your current pain level?
- Does pain affect your ability to work or perform ordinary activities of daily life?
- Do pain and symptoms disrupt sleep?
- Other questions specifically related to you and your symptoms.
MRI is performed to evaluate your spine. Sometimes a plain x-ray is ordered. Depending on the results of your examination and MRI, our doctors may conduct electrodiagnostic studies.
Interventional treatment
Seldom does the cause of back pain require spine surgery! At Rehabilitation Medicine Center of New York, our doctors may combine non-operative interventional treatments to resolve back pain. Interventional means to ‘intervene’ to stop and manage pain while you heal.
Treatments are administered in a step-wise way. We believe less can be more, and we apply that philosophy to our treatment approach. For example, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and passive physical therapy may be as effective as a narcotic painkiller, but with fewer side effects.
Back pain treatments may include:
- Physical Therapy
- Lumbar (low back) Epidural Steroid Injection
- Acupuncture
- Spinal Cord Stimulation
Meet our team of spine experts!
The staff at the Rehabilitation Medicine Center of New York can help resolve your back pain. They welcome the opportunity to recommend non-operative and surgical treatments to reduce lumbar pain and symptoms for you, a family member or friend.
