For each person, the intensity and manageability of pain is very different. For instance, one individual with a herniated disk may experience tremendous pain while another individual with the same disorder has no symptoms whatsoever. Likewise, a muscle strain may vary from mild to weakening.
Back pain can flare up and then subside under certain conditions, only after a few weeks. Because you understand your amount of pain, if you are an active participant in making choices about your medical care, your therapy by pain management doctors in OKC will most probably be more effective.
Multiple causes of back pain may include accidents, strains, and wounds. Spondylolisthesis and cervical radiculopathy are two kinds of back injury. Both have symptoms, triggers, and treatments of their own.
Vertebrae
The column of 33 bones and tissue extending from the skull to the pelvis is the spine or backbone. These bones, or vertebrae, enclose a nerve tissue cylinder known as the spinal cord and protect it. An intervertebral disk or cartilage band serves as a shock absorber between the vertebrae between each of the vertebrae.
Types of Vertebrae
Cervical vertebrae: Seven vertebrae of the upper spine.
Thoracic vertebrae: 12 bones between the neck and lower back.
Lumbar vertebrae: Located in the lower back between the chest and hips it has five largest and strongest vertebrae.
The bones at the base of the spine are the sacrum. The sacrum consists of five fused vertebrae, whereas the coccyx (tailbone) consists of four fused vertebrae.
Description of Pain
It is essential to determine a back pain diagnosis how you describe your pain to your pain management doctors in OKC, its distribution region, and any associated symptoms. Three prevalent back pain categories include:
Axial Pain – Axial pain is restricted to one place or region, also called mechanical pain. Several ways, such as sharp or dull, can be defined as coming and going, continuous, or hurting. A muscle strain, like facet joints and annular tears in disks, is a prevalent cause of arch back pain.
Referred Pain – Referred pain, often defined as sluggish and achy, tends to move and differ in intensity. Degenerative disk disease can trigger referred pain in the hips and posterior thighs for instance in the lower back.
Radicular Pain – Radicular pain, commonly known as electrical shock or burning, follows the spinal nerve route as it exits the spinal canal. Compression and/or swelling to a spinal nerve root cause this sort of pain. Radical pain may travel into the arm in the reduced back (lumbar spine). Sciatica or radiculopathy (when accompanied by weakness and/or numbness) are other terms for radicular pain. Conditions like a herniated disk, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis can cause it.
Diagnosis
In addition to performing a full history and physical examination for back pain, your physician may recommend one of the following diagnostic tests: X-rays that can be used to provide details of bone structures in the spine and to check for instability, tumors, and fractures.
CT scans are capable of identifying circumstances, such as a herniated disk or spinal stenosis.
MRI scans can detail the discs and nerve roots of the back. MRI scans are used most frequently for pre-operative planning.
Treatment
Your doctor will take a detailed medical history, discuss your symptoms, and perform a physical exam to diagnose the cause of back pain correctly. Diagnostic tests like X-rays, MRI, or diagnostic injections, are sometimes required when attempting to identify or affirm the underlying cause of pain.
Contact pain management doctors in OKC at Oklahoma Spine & Pain Management.
**Disclaimer: This content should not be considered medical advice and does not imply a doctor-patient relationship.
