Common Back Pain and Why It is Serious – Part 2
This content was medically reviewed by Baher S. Yanni, MD, on November 17th, 2017.
For many people, back pain is a daily companion, and not a welcome one. In our years treating hundreds of people with back pain, we have met many people who have accepted the pain as normal and formed their lives around it, when in fact, they have options. We’re not talking about the people with practically-catastrophic injuries who have no doubt treatment is necessary; we’re talking about people who have had back pain since they were children or they lifted that piano they shouldn’t have five years ago. Those people have options that aren’t drastic or scary thanks to the minimally-invasive innovations we employ at the Spine INA.
In our last blog, we discussed two types of pain that people tend to handle by tossing back pain killers and hoping for the best, when they really should be contacting a professional and getting the problem resolved. Today, we have two last types of pain that people don’t always handle correctly. Read on!
Types of Back Pain You Should Not Ignore
Pain paired with lessened mobility.
If you start to feel dull pain from one area of your spine that radiates out or down your back, this isn’t a simple situation. Another sign of a serious spine issue is pain in your arms or legs and having trouble moving them. If numbness, muscle weakness, and tingling show up as well, it is definitely time to contact a professional.
Why it is serious: The symptoms we listed above are all symptoms that accompany a slipped disc. Also called Spondylolisthesis, it can be one of the most painful spine conditions depending on how severe it is. It happens when a vertebra, which is usually separated from the bones around it by a padded disc, slips out of position and touches another bone. There are so many nerves in the spine; nerves always get pinched or pressured, which causes intense discomfort and problems in other areas of the body. It usually happens in the neck, but it can happen anywhere along the spine.
We can address what may seem like an impossible issue with either spinal fusion or decompressive laminectomy, removing parts of the bone that are touching or fusing the vertebra together so they don’t pinch nerves any more.
Pain traveling down the back of the leg.
If you have pain in your lower back but it pales in comparison to the pain down the back of your leg(s), some painkillers won’t do the job. This pain will usually be lighter when you walk or lay down, which is very bad news for anyone who works a desk job (i.e. a majority of employees in the U.S.).
Why it is serious: these are symptoms of sciatica, an issue that many people confuse for leg problems. They go to see an orthopedic specialist when they should be seeing a spinal expert. Sciatica is a result of herniated disc, which is a disc that is bulging out of place and pressing on nerves to create irritation that can travel far and wide. If the issue isn’t resolved, it can become a chronic condition. We can provide relief with an endoscopic discectomy that will remove the projection of disc causing nerve pain.
Let Us Help
At the Spine INA, we specialize in bringing relief to people with non-invasive procedures. We work hard every day to stay on the cutting-edge of medicine that helps people as quickly and painlessly as possible. If you don’t think your condition can be treated, we strongly encourage you to contact us in New Jersey for world-class back pain treatment.
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