Best New Jersey Back Pain Doctor
Back pain is one of the most common medical conditions across the globe and it’s the leading cause of disabilities. That’s why you should never ignore back pain and seek treatment immediately.
Back pain can occur for a variety of reasons such as osteoarthritis, lumbar disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, facet joint pain syndrome, sacroiliac joint pain, sроndуlоlіѕthеѕіѕ, or spinal deformity. Since there are so many potential causes of back pain, it’s extremely important to find the right doctor who can accurately diagnose the root cause of back pain and then treat it accordingly.
You may find some back pain specialists who’ll recommend surgical treatment even though they’re risky and relatively ineffective. You may even find chronic pain specialists who will recommend opioid management, even though that’s a short-term solution and can quickly lead to addiction. That’s why it’s crucial to find the best back pain doctor.
People in cities like New Jersey and New York are a lot more likely to suffer from chronic back pain because people in metropolitan cities generally lead sedentary lives with desk jobs. If you spend a large part of your day hunched over a computer or driving around, you’re at a greater risk of suffering from lower back pain due to spinal misalignment.
In this article, we discuss the qualities of the best New Jersey back pain doctor and we’ll reveal who is the best back pain specialist in New Jersey.
Qualities of the Best New Jersey Back Pain Doctor
There are a lot of back pain specialists out there because doctors from any field of medicine can become pain specialists. Cardiologists, anesthesiologists, physiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, and even primary care physicians — anyone can become a back pain doctor. That’s why you need to be careful when looking for the best New Jersey back pain doctor. The following qualities will help you find the best back pain specialist.
Interventional Pain Management
There are three broad categories of back pain specialists out there — palliative care specialists, chronic pain specialists, and interventional pain specialists.
Palliative Care Specialists focus on pain management occurring because of underlying diseases like cancer. They largely focus on the emotional and psychological aspects of pain management. So they’re not suitable for those suffering from chronic back pain.
Chronic Pain Specialists are those who rely solely on opioid management. They prescribe narcotics or opioids to deal with back pain and are responsible for the country’s ongoing opioid crisis. Narcotics may provide temporary relief from pain, but they don’t address the root cause of back pain and create a dependence on the substance, leading to addiction. Please avoid chronic pain specialists entirely.
Interventional Pain Specialists are those who are trained to diagnose the root cause of your back pain and then treat it using minimally invasive procedures like epidural steroid injections and facet joints injections. You should only go to interventional pain specialists because they’ll provide long-term and effective treatment.
Board Certified Pain Specialists
You should ideally look for board-certified interventional pain specialists. While board certification isn’t necessary, it guarantees that the pain doctor is highly qualified and experienced.
Pain specialists need to go through immense challenges and accomplish professional milestones to get certified. As such, board-certified pain specialists will be a lot more adept at identifying the root cause of back pain and treating it without complications.
Diagnosis of Chronic Back Pain
Before treatment, the back pain specialist must diagnose the root cause of chronic back pain. As mentioned previously, back pain can occur for a wide range of underlying reasons. That’s why the back pain specialist should run a series of physical tests, imaging tests, and lab tests.
The physical tests will comprise of the doctor checking for signs of swelling, redness, warmth, inflammation, or mobility issues. The imaging tests — X-Rays, CT Scans, Ultrasound, and MRI Scans — will help the doctor visualize your spinal cord and the internal cross-section of your back so they can look for signs of disease, injuries, or fractures. And the lab test will help the doctor identify potential signs of infection.
Minimally Invasive Treatments instead of Surgical Treatment
In the past, doctors could only treat back pain with a risky surgical treatment. However, thanks to modern medicine, back pain can be treated with minimally invasive non-surgical procedures.
You should only look for back pain specialists who provide the following minimally invasive treatments.
- Epidural Steroid Injections: These are corticosteroids delivered to the epidural space to provide immediate pain relief.
- Facet Joints Injections: These refer to anesthetic fluids delivered to the nerves around the joints of the vertebrae to treat back pain caused by arthritis or mechanical lower back.
- Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation: During this procedure, thermal energy is delivered to the nerve endings of the problematic nerves. This selectively removes the nerves conveying pain signals to your brain, thus treating back pain.
- Spinal Cord Stimulation: This is a procedure in which a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) device is used to modify pain signals before they even reach the brain.
Medical History
You should also look at the pain specialist’s medical history and track record to make sure they have an impressive success rate. This will help you determine if they’re reliable and if they can treat your back pain without complications.
Dr. Laura Lombardi — Best New Jersey Back Pain Doctor
Dr. Laura Lombardi, who currently presides over Pain Treatment Specialists, is the best New Jersey back pain doctor. She’s a double board-certified interventional pain specialist with a degree from Yale University. She understands the importance of treating acute chronic pain and injuries and does so after carefully diagnosing the root cause of your back pain. For more information, please schedule an appointment with the best New Jersey back pain doctor in your location.