10 Unexpected Causes of Back Pain in Manhattan
august 13, 2020
What’s Causing Your Back Pain? You Might Be Surprised
If you lifted heavy weights in the gym, helped your friend move into an apartment, or spent the day mowing the lawn, you might expect your back to be sore. Likewise, if you recently slipped and fell or were in a car accident, it’s understandable that your back might hurt. But the spine is your central support structure, making it subject to multiple sources of pain. It’s important to visit a certified back pain Manhattan specialist to receive an accurate diagnosis.
10 Sources of Back Pain Manhattan Residents Might Not Expect:
1. Your Digestive System & Back Pain
Digestive organs like the stomach, large and small intestines, and esophagus often send pain signals to the spine. Whether from bloating, swelling, inflammation, constipation, or acid reflux, digestive pain often radiates and refers to the back. Common conditions like GERD, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Colitis, and Crohn’s Disease generate back pain. If you’re experiencing back pain with new digestive symptoms, seek the advice of Pain Treatment Specialists’ doctors who are adept at diagnosing and treating complex pain.
2. Your Reproductive System & Back Pain
Pelvic pain stemming from endometriosis, fibroids, cysts, menstrual cramps, ectopic pregnancies, PMS, perimenopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, sexually transmitted diseases, and ovarian cancer can all cause back pain. If you’re experiencing a change in your reproductive health, along with back pain, consult a pain specialist.
3. Your Excretory System & Back Pain
The bladder, kidneys, and pancreas are all guilty of causing back pain when infected or diseased. Call your pain specialist if you develop back pain in addition to things like a change in urinary or bowel patterns, blood in your urine, or a fever. Kidney stones, kidney disease, pancreatic cancer, urinary tract infection (UTI), or bowel disease could be to blame.
4. Your Cardiac Health & Back Pain
Pain from a heart attack, angina, stroke or atherosclerosis can radiate to your back. If you have chest pain, nausea, vomiting, or trouble breathing with back pain, seek immediate attention by dialing 911 or heading to an emergency room. While other conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease can also cause chest pain with back pain, it’s important to seek urgent care for diagnosing and treating this type of pain.
5. Your Pregnancy or Childbirth & Back Pain
Pregnancy is a joyous time, but also one with its share of annoying symptoms. Back pain is a common complaint in pregnancy related to several things including additional weight on the spine, spreading of hips, and uncomfortable sleeping positions. But you don’t have to endure it or take addictive medications to treat it. See a pain treatment specialist for safe remedies for pregnancy-related pain. After giving birth, many women also develop back pain, either from muscle strains during delivery, herniated discs, surgical pain, or postural pain from carrying and feeding a child for several hours a day. Our team can relieve back pain from pregnancy and childbirth gently and quickly.
6. Your Smoking & Back Pain
Okay, you’ve probably heard that smoking is bad for you, but did you know that smoking causes back pain? Nicotine alters the size of blood vessels, increasing damage to ligaments and muscles by reducing blood flow to the spine. It also causes disc degeneration because of lessened nutrient exchange and decreased healing and disc regeneration ability. Smoking also causes inflammation and impairs your immune system, which not only increases risk of disease and injury in your spine, but also negates the impact of treatments like physical therapy.
7. Your Relaxation & Back Pain
Yes, it seems counterintuitive, but taking it easy can actually cause back pain. Prolonged sitting weakens the abdominal and spinal muscles, causes stiff joints, and increases risk of some things like sciatica or herniated discs, due to compression. While rest is important for your back, particularly when you’re injured, make sure you aren’t spending too much time sitting in one position. Choose chairs with proper ergonomic design and lumbar support, particularly if you’ll be working in them all day.
8. Your Fitness & Back Pain
Staying physically fit is one of the best things you can do for your back. When you have strong abdominal, back, and neck muscles, your spine is properly supported. Maintaining a healthy weight is also important to avoid overburdening your spine. However, how you exercise is important. Make sure you use proper lifting techniques, and pay attention to posture on bikes and step mills. Stretch well before and after you exercise, with a warm-up to loosen your muscles. Always listen to your body, and stop if you feel a twinge or a strain. Train with a certified instructor in New York, NY to prevent cervical or lumbar injury.
9. Your Sleep & Back Pain
When your back hurts, sometimes the only thing that relieves it is laying down. But before you curl up under the blankets, assess your mattress, pillows, and sleeping position. A mattress that’s too soft or too firm will actually cause back pain, and it differs for each person. Ask your pain specialist about the right type of mattress for you based on age, health condition, spinal shape, and sleep position. A good night’s sleep can work wonders for your back, but it can also leave you in pain from things like pinched nerves or herniated discs. It’s important to get a full night of sleep, but avoid laying in bed for prolonged periods when you aren’t sleeping. Choose more active positions while awake for stronger musculature and support.
10. Your Job & Back Pain
Jobs can be a pain in the neck, figuratively, but they can also cause literal pain in the back. Those in the construction, shipping, and trucking industries are at obvious risk. But many professions, including musicians, receptionists, childcare workers, healthcare workers, and restaurant staff are subject to chronic back pain. Whether you lift heavy objects, are on your feet all day, or sit still all day, back pain management requires proactive steps and interventional treatment to prevent job-related back pain in Manhattan.
The #1 Back Pain Specialists in Midtown Manhattan
If you’re struggling with back pain in New York, NY, call our office or book an appointment online to get swift relief. Our Harvard-trained pain specialists are world-renowned for diagnosing and treating back pain with minimally invasive treatments. Our treatments for pain include groundbreaking technology that identifies the cause of pain and treats it simultaneously.
Each of our award-winning physicians is an expert in minimally invasive pain management, authoring medical textbooks and training other doctors in the procedures. Call our office today for world-class care in our midtown Manhattan location, right near Penn Station. We’re uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat back pain in Manhattan, from both obvious and unexpected causes.
Book a Consultation
Scheduling a consultation with one of our pain treatment specialists is one of the best ways to determine the proper solution for pain relief.
Meet our Harvard trained team
Dr. George Hanna
Harvard Medical School | NY & NJ Pain Specialist
Dr. Hanna received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed anesthesiology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital – Harvard Medical School and a pain management fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hanna was then appointed Clinical Instructor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School – training new graduates for over 3 years in anesthesiology and pain management techniques at Massachusetts General Hospital.
