Back Pain Specialist NJ – Renowned Pain Management Doctor, New Jersey Area
June 12, 2019
Back and Spinal Pain
Spinal pain can be caused by multiple different processes. Pain may result from the irritation of spinal nerves or nerve roots, muscle strains, joint dislocations, bone fractures or disc injuries. The timing of back pain is variable as well. It can be acute (sudden onset) and last a few days or weeks, or it can be chronic, lasting longer than 90 days. Each type of backache should be addressed differently, and a top back pain specialist in NJ can help. By seeing a board-certified doctor who has pain management experience, you give yourself the highest chance of getting relief without requiring pain medications or surgery.
If back pain isn’t addressed, it can make your life miserable. We think of the back as stiff , but is built to flexibly move in different directions. Severe pain can interfere with your ability to work or run your errands, resulting in unnecessary stress and discomfort. Persistent pain should be checked by the best pain management doctor in the NJ area. Here are different types of backaches that people experience:
- Pain that only occurs when you twist your back in a certain way
- Sharp pain in one area
- Dull lower back ache (may travel to the legs)
- Neck Pain (may travel down the arms)
Prior to seeing your pain management doctor in New Jersey, make sure you can describe your discomfort. Try to remember how the pain started and how intense it felt. In addition to pain, there can be more symptoms of backache: numbness, tingling, and weakness. 50% of back pain sufferers will recover in just two weeks, about 90% will experience pain relief within twelve weeks. But if at any time your pain is severe or doesn’t respond well to home remedies, it is usually advisable to visit a back pain specialist at a New Jersey Clinic or wherever is closest to home. Don’t wait until the pain is severe enough to go to the ER.
Back Pain due to Muscle Strain
The most common cause of pain in the lower back, also known as the lumbar region, is soft tissue damage or a muscle strain. Although this condition is unlikely to lead to serious long-term consequences, it can cause a lot of pain. If the pain lasts longer than a few weeks, talking to a pain doctor in New York or New Jersey. He or she can perform a thorough evaluation and determine the exact location of the injury. Conservative measures, such as light activity, hot packs and over the counter medication may help. The best over-the-counter pain relief medicine to take when you have a muscle strain is either acetaminophen (Tylenol) or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (naproxen, Motrin, ibuprofen). If these medications don’t reduce your inflammation and pain, your pain management doctor NJ can prescribe stronger drugs. Typical symptoms of a muscle strain or sprain include:
- Backache that is localized to the lumbar spine area and does not travel down your legs.
- Back pain that begins after lifting a heavy load, twisting your spine more than normal, a fall or an accident.
- Backache that includes tenderness to the touch or muscle spasms
- Less severe pain when resting and very severe pain when carrying out a given activity.
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.
Lumbar spine conditions that lead to leg pain
If you are experiencing pain in your legs in addition to lower back pain, there are a number of conditions that could trigger this:
- Herniated disc –In between each vertebra (spine bone) are gel discs. If a disc compresses and irritates a nearby nerve root, pain can travel down the leg. This type of pain is called sciatica.
- Spinal stenosis -This refers to narrowing of the spinal canal because of degeneration. As the spinal space narrows, pressure can be placed on a nerve root, causing severe pain. See a pain management doctor as soon as possible.
- Osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of the tiny facet joints in the rear of the spine. This can trigger a lot of pain and stiffness. Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of spinal stenosis in the lower back area. To know if you have it, seek the assistance of a back pain specialist NJ
- Degenerative disc disease – Over time spinal discs degenerate. This can cause irritation of the nerve root and cause sciatic nerve pain.
- Isthmic spondylolisthesis – When a vertebra slips forward on another due to a stress fracture, it can pinch a nerve.
The treatments provided by pain management doctors in New York or New Jersey will be based on the underlying condition. A good doctor will speak with you in detail and fully understand what symptoms you are having. Next he or she will ask about your medical history and carry out diagnostic testing to determine the exact cause of backache. Treatment provided by a pain management doctor in New Jersey will differ based on whether you have a specific condition like a herniated disc or a general problem like a muscle strain. Pain that results from a health condition in the lower back should be tackled by the leading pain management doctor NJ clinic. It’s important to get the correct answers regarding your back pain.
Seeing a Back Pain Specialist in NJ for Chronic Pain
If your back pain is due to sciatica you will have certain symptoms. These include numbness, pain in the buttock, back of thigh, lower leg and/or foot. It generally worsens when you remain seated for several hours or with prolonged standing. Chronic back pain due to sciatica can be triggered by a herniated disc or another issue.
Other types of chronic backache, according to the reliable pain management doctors in New Jersey, include the following:
- Pain that is felt when a given back position is maintained or when a given movement is made– running or bending forward. This type of pain is never constant. Sometimes there is no pain at all and other times it will be mild or severe. Pain may also erupt suddenly. If your pain matches this description you should be evaluated for degenerative disc disease.
- lumbar spine pain feels worse in the morning and evening and is accompanied by stiffness could be due to degenerative arthritis in your facet joint.
- If you have pain that travels down your legs when walking or standing upright but improves after taking a seat, it may be due to degenerative spondylolisthesis or lumbar spine stenosis. Again it’s important to get tested by a renowned pain management doctor in New Jersey as soon as possible to determine the cause of your pain.
- If you experience constant and worsening leg weakness, contact your pain management doctor NJ right away or consider heading to the emergency department.
Who is prone to Back Pain?
Several risk factors for back pain exist, although there are people who experience back pain even without having risk factors. These risk factors include the following:
- Increasing age – The spine and its components do succumb to the wear and tear brought about by the normal aging process. This leads to disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis and other conditions. Anyone older than thirty years and younger than sixty years is likely to experience age-related backache due to disc disorders. Seniors over sixty years old are likely to feel back pain due to osteoarthritis, a serious disease that must be investigated by the right pain management doctor New Jersey
- Genetics – Certain kinds of spinal disorders are related to genetics. For instance, degenerative disc disease tends to have a genetic component.
- Occupational dangers – Men or women who have to lift or bend repetitively have a bigger chance of having a back injury. In addition, people who have to stand up for several hours, including pain management doctor NJ, nurses, or those workers who use computers the entire day, have a bigger risk of developing back issues.
- Sedentary lifestyle – lack of regular exercise puts you in danger of suffering from lower back pain.
- Pregnancy – Expectant mothers have a bigger risk of feeling back pain because of carrying too much body weight in the front. As well, pain can be felt due to the loosening of ligaments in the pelvic area when delivery is near. This type of backache ends when a baby is born and doesn’t necessarily have to be checked by a pain management doctor NJ.
- Obesity – Increased weight causes stress on your lower back and knee joints.
- Bad posture – poor posture when working, standing, sitting down, walking or sleeping, increases your risk of back pain.
- Smoking – If you smoke cigarettes, you are likely to feel back pain sooner. There is a relationship between backache and smoking, which your pain management doctor New Jersey State can explain. In addition, a pain specialist can help with smoking cessation.
When should you see a Back Pain Specialist in NJ
If ever you are in doubt about your backache, consult a medical expert immediately. Backache that keeps on worsening should cause alarm and prompt you to seek help from a qualified pain management doctor. Pain that doesn’t improve even after taking pain medicines or resting might involve neurological problems and should be evaluated by a good back pain doctor. Generally, seeking medical intervention from a pain management doctor New Jersey if your pain has any of the following characteristics:
- The pain in your back occurs after a car accident or a fall accident.
- Pain is worsening and consistent
- One month has passed since the pain started.
- You have felt severe pain for several days and no home remedies have improved it.
- A lot of pain is felt in the back at night and makes you wake up from a deep slumber.
- When numbness is felt in the upper inner thighs, buttocks or grain area.
- When back pain is accompanied by stomach pain
You should be concerned about neurological problems if you have pain that travels down your arms or hands and/or legs or foot or if you experience general weakness, tingling and numbness. A board-certified pain doctor can help you avoid surgery and medications.
If you have unremitting pain, seek expert advice from a renowned doctor such as Dr. George Hanna or Dr. Michael Nguyen, recognized as the best pain specialists in New Jersey.