Back Pain

Most people suffer from back pain at least once in their lives and sometimes repeatedly. If you’re tired of continual back pain, visit Ravi Panjabi, MD, at Advanced Pain Management in Castro Valley, California. Dr. Panjabi and his team are specialists in using non-surgical back pain treatments, including the advanced, minimally invasive Intracept® procedure. To benefit from their extensive experience, call the Advanced Pain Management office today or book online with the scheduling feature.

What’s causing my back pain?

If your back pain occurs suddenly, you’ve probably injured your spinal column, spinal cord, nerves, discs, connective tissues, or the surrounding muscles. Falls, sports injuries, poor lifting techniques, overstretching, and auto accidents are all common acute back pain causes.

Chronic back pain may develop if you don’t recover properly from an acute injury. It can also result from repetitive strain — making the same movements repeatedly — or age-related deterioration, which can lead to:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Spinal stenosis (narrowed spinal canal)
• Bulging or herniated discs
• Lumbar radiculopathy (sciatica)
• Osteoarthritis
• Bone spurs
• Vertebral compression fractures from osteoporosis

For many years, clinicians believed that most chronic lower back pain stems from intervertebral disc damage. However, this doesn’t match MRI or discography results for disc degeneration. Furthermore, disc treatments don’t always produce the desired success rates.

Research suggests that the spine’s vertebral body endplates are a significant chronic lower back pain cause.

What treatments help with back pain?

Mild back pain caused by a muscle strain usually improves with sensible home care. You should avoid activities that worsen the pain, apply ice packs, and make gentle movements. Anti-inflammatory medication should control the pain.

If you don’t improve or have been experiencing chronic back pain, contact the Advanced Pain Management team. They start with conservative options that ease pain and improve function before moving on to innovative non-surgical treatments. Your individually tailored care plan might include some of the following:

• Physical therapy
• Epidural steroid injections
• Facet joint injections
• Nerve block injections
• Trigger point injections
• Medication management
• Radiofrequency rhizotomy (ablation)
• LASE® (laser-assisted spinal endoscopy) discography and disc decompression
• Spinal cord stimulation
• Intrathecal pain pump implantation
• Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty for vertebral compression fractures
• Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) injections
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
• Stem cell/exosome injections

Another effective treatment for lower back pain is the Intracept procedure, which targets the spinal column’s basivertebral nerve (BVN). It provides effective treatment for patients who haven’t responded to conservative therapy. This minimally invasive outpatient procedure is implant-free and preserves the spine’s structure, offering long-lasting lower back pain relief.

Can I prevent back pain?

Back pain is more common than any other cause of disability, so it’s vital to prevent it where possible. You can do this by maintaining a healthy diet, watching your weight, and remaining active. You should also avoid bed rest or prolonged inactivity. Before sports or other physical activities, complete a warmup and/or stretching exercises.

Call Advanced Pain Management today or book an appointment online if you need help with chronic back pain.