While millions of American adults experience occasional back pain, around 8% of adults live with persistent back pain that limits their everyday activities. Whether your pain is short-lived or chronic, finding the right treatment to relieve your pain is critical.
Our orthopedic surgeons at Bahri Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, have years of experience diagnosing and treating the conditions that cause back pain. Our goal is to heal your back, relieve your pain, and help you get back to your regular activities.
Our expert orthopedic surgeons provide comprehensive consultations, including physical exams and diagnostic testing, to identify the issue causing your pain. Some of the most common issues we find include:
Muscle strains and trigger points can cause pain and stiffness. Knotting and swelling in your muscles can also impinge nerves causing radiating pain and numbness and tingling sensations. You can injure your back muscles with abnormal twisting movements, incorrect lifting technique, or trying to move heavy objects.
Osteoarthritis is a prevalent culprit of back pain. As the cartilage that protects the joints in your spine wears away, you can develop irritation, inflammation, and stiffness. Osteoarthritis also leads to bone spurs and more pain.
Osteoporosis makes your bones brittle and weak. It increases your vulnerability to compression fractures and other painful spine problems.
You have spinal discs between each of your vertebra. Your discs consist of a soft gel-like center surrounded by a rubbery shell. As you age, your discs become dry, which increases your risk herniation. Disc herniation occurs when the soft inside of a disc bulges through the rubbery shell.
Your spine surrounds and protects your spinal cord as well as the roots of your peripheral nerves as they branch out from your spine and into your body. Your spinal column doesn't have much spare space, so any swelling, bulging disc, or abnormal growth can potentially compress a nerve and cause pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness.
While incorrect posture doesn't directly cause back pain, slouching at a desk all day, or if you're working at home, sitting on your couch or bed all day, can put abnormal stress on your spine, muscles, and connective tissue. It increases your risk of trigger points, muscle strain, and general soreness.
Pain is how your body signals that something isn't right, and you should never ignore it. If you're generally pain-free and develop back pain, you can rest and use at-home care options like over-the-counter pain relievers, ice packs, and heating pads. However, if your pain persists for more than a few days or gets worse instead of better, it's time to see a doctor.
If you already live with chronic back pain, give us a call or make an appointment online today. We can identify the root issue causing your pain and provide personalized treatment plans to relieve it.
