Low back pain (LBP) is any pain between the lower rib margins and gluteal folds (end of buttocks) in the lower back region of the spine. It is a leading cause of lifetime disability. In other words, at some point in our lives, 70% to 80% of us are troubled by back pain. Due to mild discomfort or distraction, the pain may vary to severe pain, which can cause life to stand. Common LBP causes include muscle or ligament strain, spinal arthritis, disc bulges, rupture, and pinched nerves.
Other causes are degenerative discs, abnormal curvature or spine alignments, narrowing of the spinal canal, and referred pain in neighboring areas. Serious causes, such as fractures, infections, cancer, etc., are fortunately not as common. The pain may be located behind or extended into the legs. Pinching and weakness are addressed as sciatica, which radiates to the legs. Pain generators can be difficult to identify when dealing with back pain. This pain should be controlled by seeing a back pain specialist as continuous untreated pain causes distress and agony as well as harms most systems, such as mental, emotional, and quality of life.
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Muscle Relaxants – This drug acts as a central nervous system depressant, increases the mobility of tense muscles, and relieves muscle strains or spasms from pain. There is no role for muscle relaxants in chronic pain management.
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Pain Medication – Narcotic drugs, also known as opioids or painkillers, modify the perception of pain through the weakening of brain signals. Narcotic medicine, such as acute pain after surgery, is most often used to treat severe, short-term pain. Narcotics are seldom used to treat long-term pain because they have many addictive side effects.
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Back Braces – A rear strap may be used to provide comfort and possibly reduce pain for some patients. There is some evidence that a corset-style inelastic brace, worn every day in combination with an exercise program for physical therapy, can speed the cure and reduce pain. After back surgery, a back brace can also be helpful.
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Injections – This injection consists of a steroid directly inside the external part of the spinal cord. An X-ray is used to lead the needle to the proper area, called fluoroscopy. The injection aims to relieve pain temporarily by reducing inflammation around a compressed nerve root.
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Facet Joint Injection – The injections of facet joints can help detect the cause of pain and provide usually good relief. This procedure involves the placement of needles in the body and provides an x-ray guide, and the injection helps to relieve pain.
Treatment of Radiofrequency
For back pain that comes from spinal joints, this procedure can offer prolonged pain relief. They need to place needles under X-ray near the nerves that are sensing pain from the facet joints affected. Using specialized equipment, the electrical current produced by radio waves heats up a small area of those nerves. This reduces the pain signals that the nerves transmit to the brain, which alleviates pain.
Visit our back pain specialist in Oklahoma Spine & Pain Management in OKC. See our services for a wide range of treatment options at a single point.
**Disclaimer: This content should not be considered medical advice and does not imply a doctor-patient relationship.
