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What Is Back Pain?

If you’ve ever asked the question, “What is back pain?” chances are you’ve felt the symptoms of weakness, numbness, tingling, and traveling pain that accompany many spinal conditions. And although back and neck pain are common ailments, nobody should have to resign themselves to a decreased quality of life when there are so many treatment options available, both non-invasive and minimally invasive.

What Causes Back Pain?

Many back and neck conditions are caused by a degenerative spine. General deterioration is a natural process that occurs as we get older, but sometimes the intervertebral discs can deteriorate to the point where everyday movements like playing tennis, sitting at a desk, or turning your head to check for traffic, can be extremely painful. These degenerative disc spine conditions include herniated disc, bulging disc, spinal stenosis, bones spurs, and many others. The reason these conditions can cause so much pain is that they all contribute to neural compression. If an intervertebral disc ruptures or protrudes beyond its normal perimeter, the spinal nerve fibers can become constricted, sending painful distress signals all over the body.

Back Pain Treatments

In most cases, it is best to begin treating back pain using non-invasive methods. Below are some conservative therapies that should be tried before a more serious approach, such as a spinal operation, is considered:

• Mild exercise and other strength-building activities
• Hot and cold compresses
• Prescription or over-the-counter pain medication
• Physical therapy
• Chiropractic work
• Holistic treatments such as yoga or acupuncture
• Steroid injections

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For some patients, these conservative treatments may offer enough relief that patients can return to their daily standard of living without surgery. Other patients may not find these therapies to be effective and will consider a back operation. That’s when Laser Spine Institute (LSI) may be able to step in and help. Our minimally invasive, endoscopic procedures offer a welcome alternative to the risks of traditional, open spine operations. Remember, wondering what is causing your back pain should not be an ongoing question— get answers today by contacting LSI for a free review of your MRI or CT scan.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.