Back Pain

What is back pain?

Back pain is very common and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Just about everyone experiences back discomfort at some point in their life. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most common symptoms that our patients in Boca Raton report.

Back discomfort can range in intensity from mild to severe. However, it is very important to stay on top of the pain, especially as you age. Our specialists have been successfully treating back pain in Boca Raton for more than 10 years. Call us at 561-549-9090 for a consultation.

The upper or middle back (aka the thoracic spine) is constructed for strength to anchor the rib cage. Safeguarding vital internal organs in the chest. In comparison to the neck (cervical spine) and lower back (lumbar spine), the upper back is well-protected from pain and injury.

Your lower back is an extraordinary well-engineered structure of joints, bones, ligaments, and muscles. Which all work together to deliver support, flexibility, and strength. However, your lower back is a complex structure, and unlike your upper back, it is not unusual for it to be subject to pain and injury.

Below we break down thoracic spine pain into two categories, upper back & lower back. You will see the symptoms and causes listed under each category.

UPPER BACK PAIN (Thoracic Spine)

The upper and middle back area is less prone to injury than your lower back. This is due to your lower back baring more bodyweight and work than your upper back. Although this does not mean that you cannot have pain in your upper back, it is just less common.

Your back structure is made up of 12 vertebrae in your upper and middle back. Typically a physician will refer to this as T1 through T12 (T standing for “thoracic”.) Between the vertebrae, there are spongy discs, which act as shock absorbers for your body. They cushion your bones as you move about your daily routine and activities. The spine is held together by muscles and ligaments. This whole area is known as the thoracic spine.

Thoracic Spine Pain Symptoms

Symptoms of upper back pain differ from person to person. For some, pain is very mild and goes away in time. However, for others, the pain worsens and interferes with their everyday lives.

Pain in the upper back (thoracic spine) can also be described as:

• Aching
• Stiffness
• Sharp pain
• Burning sensation

More serious symptoms include:

• Radiating Pain
• Weakened arms or legs
• Tingling or numbness in your legs, arms, chest or belly
• Losing bladder or bowel control

Upper Back Discomfort Causes:

Common reasons for upper back pain are due to straining or injuries. These occur from overuse. There are many other reasons which could be causing your back to ache, such as poor posture.

Poor posture is extremely common nowadays. It’s very important that we actively try to correct this issue. To do so, we need to follow a couple of simple steps worth following:

• Keep your shoulders back when sitting
• While standing try to keep your back as straight as possible. Place weight evenly on your feet for better comfort and less strain.

Additional causes may include:

• Thoracic herniated disc
• Compression fractures
• Arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Severe spinal deformity
• Gallbladder issues

LOWER BACK PAIN (Lumbar Spine)

The lower back supports the weight of the upper body. Which provides mobility for everyday motions such as twisting and bending. The nerves in the lumbar spine provide power and sensation to the muscles in the legs, feet and pelvis. Muscles in the lower back are responsible for rotating and flexing the hips while walking. These muscles are also responsible for supporting the spinal column.

It is typical for acute thoracic spine pain to come from trauma to the muscles, ligaments, discs or joints. However, another common reason for lower back pain is from lifting a heavy object with improper technique. When the body reacts to injury, it mobilizes an inflammatory healing response causing serious pain.

Other common causes are degenerative disorders of aging such as spinal stenosis, arthritis and osteoporosis. Rarely, thoracic pain will be due to an affection or tumor. Low back discomfort may also occur from another disorder, such as kidney stones or fibromyalgia.

Most men and women in their 30’s and 40’s are often diagnosed with recurrent or chronic lower back pain. Although, in some cases, children and teens are also be affected.

Lumbar Spine Pain Symptoms:

Lumbar spine pain can cause a wide variety of symptoms. The pain ranges from mild and merely irritating to severe and crippling. The pain may start suddenly or slowly- possibly coming and going while gradually worsening.

• Dull pain
• Achy pain
• Stinging and burning

More serious symptoms include:

• Numbness and tingling
• Muscle spasms
• Pain worsened after prolonged sitting
• Difficulty walking or standing up straight

Lower Back Pain Causes:

Typically, it is mechanical issues and soft tissue injuries which cause lower back pain. However, injuries include compression of nerve roots, damage to the intervertebral discs and improper movements of the joints. The most common cause of lower lumbar spine pain is a torn or pulled ligament or muscle.

Additional causes include:

• Lumbar herniated disc
• Degenerative disc disease
• Facet joint dysfunction
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Osteoarthritis
• Deformity
• Trauma
• Compression Fracture

BACK PAIN TREATMENT IN BOCA RATON SPINE CENTER

Treatments for upper and lower back pain include non-surgical and surgical options. The typical approach for relieving pain is by starting with conservative (non-surgical) approaches, including bracing and injections.

There are many ways you can prevent or relieve most spine pain issues at home. Typically healing with home remedies occur within a couple of weeks.

However, if you are searching for a back pain specialist in the South Florida area, Boca Raton Spine Center is a good place to start. Our highly recommended specialists start the healing process with conservative methods such as below.

Non-surgical Treatment Options:

• Epidural Injection – Epidural spinal injections are one of the most common non-surgical treatment options. This option is great for relieving back pain due to the inflammation of spinal nerves. Furthermore, injections also help different spine degenerative conditions such as herniated disc, spinal stenosis, spondylolysis, sciatica etc.
• Spinal Orthosis (Spinal Bracing) – Orthotics or Spinal Bracing, which include both neck and back braces, is a common spinal treatment used to support and stabilize areas of the body from the lower back up to upper cervical spine
• Facet Joint Injection – Facet injections are a minimally-invasive non-surgical spine treatment for several conditions causing neck and back discomfort. This injection works by reducing the inflammation and irritation in the facet joints causing the pain.
• Stem Cell Injection – Stem cell injection, also known as bone marrow transplant, is a non-surgical procedure that replaces damaged or destroyed bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells.
• Trigger Point Injection – Trigger point injections relax the muscle and relieve pain by placing medications in the trigger point.  These injections are considered the most effective way to inactivate a trigger point pain.
• Radiofrequency Ablation – A minimally-invasive procedure that uses radio-frequency energy (controlled heat) to disrupt specific nerves from sending pain signals to the brain, thus preventing the sensation of pain.

Although, when conservative methods do not provide relief, your doctor might recommend surgery.

Surgical Treatment Options:

• Disc Replacement – A Cervical and Lumbar Disc Replacement procedure removes a damaged spinal disc and replaces it with an artificial disc that mimics the original in order to restore the motion to the spine.
• Kyphoplasty – Kyphoplasty, aka balloon kyphoplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat a painful vertebral compression fracture by restoring the height and strength of the fractured vertebra and providing, in most cases, immediate pain reduction or elimination.
• Laminectomy – Laminectomy or Spinal Decompression is a surgical procedure that is performed by removing the back wall of the spinal canal, lamina. This creates more space for the spinal cord, thus relieving pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves.
• Microdiscectomy – A lumbar microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive operation that involves using a surgical microscope and microsurgical techniques to access and treat the lumbar spine by removing part of a herniated disc or disc fragments to relieve pressure on the spinal nerve roots or spinal cord.
• Spinal Fusion – Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure that helps to relieve pain in the vertebrae (spinal bones) by fusing two or more vertebrae together to reduce motion. Vertebrae pain can be associated with a variety of conditions including degenerative disk disease, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, fracture, infection, and spine tumors.
• Vertebroplasty – Vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive surgery for spine fractures where all or part of a spine bone collapses due to weakened bones.