Category: Treatment Options for Back Pain

5 Signs Your Back Pain May Be Spinal Arthritis

50% of all working Americans deal with back pain symptoms every single year. This doesn’t include the number of young adults who may have scoliosis or a back-related sports injury, or retired or unemployed personnel who also struggle with back pain.

When you think of everyone around you who understands how serious back pain can be, it’s nice to know you’re not alone. But, this doesn’t make the pain go away. You still need to get treatment for the pain you’re dealing with, especially if you think you have a condition like spinal arthritis.

Spinal arthritis causes the protective cartilage of the spine to wear down. This can lead to even more pain in the spine and lack of spinal mobility.

Keep reading to see if you have any of the common signs of spinal arthritis.

1. You Back Pain Is Getting Worse and Worse

The thing about spinal arthritis is that the pain doesn’t just come and go. It’s a constant pain that lingers throughout your day, every day.

The pain may increase and decrease depending on your level of activity or lack thereof. But, it’s still there as you do everything from making breakfast to driving to work, to completing your work out.

More importantly, spinal arthritis in the back causes the pain to get worse.

You may have first experienced pain in the lower back that spread up the spine. Or, you could have noticed a bit of pain in your mid-back at first which has now spread up or down. However it began, if your back pain is spreading on the spine and/or increasing in intensity, you’re likely dealing with spinal arthritis.

2. You Have a Stiff Back

Another sign of spinal arthritis is immobility in the back. If you have trouble bending over or moving your spine side to side, you have a stiff back. This means you feel pain when performing simple tasks – like tying your shoes or lifting a load of laundry.

The stiffness stays with you throughout the day. Even if your back pain goes away when you sit, stand, or lay down for an extended period of time, you feel the stiffness when you try to move and shift positions.

This isn’t something to brush off or feel like you have to live with. It’s a spinal condition worth getting medical attention for as soon as possible.

3. Your Back Pain Causes Trouble Sleeping

Does the back pain you feel throughout the day follow you to bed at night? Is it hard for you to find a comfortable position to sleep in because your spine hurts?

This is another sign of spinal arthritis worth paying attention to. As common as back pain can be, it’s not normal for it to affect your quality of sleep.

Not to mention, a low level of sleep quality can make your back pain even worse. When you sleep poorly, you don’t have as much energy to take on your day. This can result in lower levels of activity and spending more time with your back in a fixed position. It can also lead you to hunch over at work from being groggy, which doesn’t do any good for the spine, either.

4. You Wake up with Back Pain

Maybe it’s not that you have trouble falling asleep because of your back pain but that you feel it the moment you wake up. Maybe you feel it in your sleep and the next morning, too.

Either way, you’re likely dealing with spinal arthritis. Remember, this affects the cartilage of the spine, not the bones themselves (at least, not right away). Lack of cartilage means lack of cushion for the bones.

This could result in a herniated disc or a pinch in the nerves. Cartilage is essential for healthy bone functions and placement. When it starts to degenerate, the surrounding area may inflame and cause more discomfort than the body is already experiencing.

As such, the pain you feel when waking up in the morning is a lowering of the inflammation that occurred during sleep. If the pain lasts throughout the day at a more intense level than normal, it could be that your spinal arthritis has caused a herniated disc, which should be taken care of right away.

5. Other Parts of Your Body Also Hurt

As if all the pain and discomfort caused by spinal arthritis isn’t enough, keep in mind this condition can spread. Pain in the spine may lead to discomfort in the neck or a tingling in the legs.

This tingling can reach as far as your toes if you’re not careful and you go too long without treatment. The tingling may end up as more of a numb sensation throughout your whole leg or it can concentrate in a certain area such as the knee.

Still, there’s no sense in putting yourself through this when help is available.

Get the Help Your Spinal Arthritis Needs

It’s one thing to recognize the symptoms of spinal arthritis and understand you have it, and another to actually get the treatment your spine needs.

Don’t go another day without taking care of your back. Make an appointment with an experienced spinal professional right now to get the treatment you deserve.

Before you know it, your back will feel as good as new and your pain will feel practically nonexistent! Click here to discover more about spinal arthritis and what Dr. Carl Spivak, MD, and his team can do for you.

The Best Bulging Disc Treatment for Pain Relief

Lower back pain is one of the most common health complaints worldwide. Approximately 31 million Americans are struggling with this issue at any given time. In some cases, the pain can worsen and become chronic.

This condition can have a variety of cases, from poor posture to arthritis and injuries. Sometimes, it results from a bulging disc.

Also known as a disc protrusion, bulging discs typically occur in the lower back between vertebrae L5 and S1 or L4 and L5. Their symptoms vary from one individual to another.

Some people may experience no symptoms at all, while others report excruciating pain.

Bulging disc treatment involves medications, physiotherapy, massage, or spinal manipulation. In severe cases, surgery is the only option.

Before discussing these options, let’s see what a bulging disc is in the first place.

What Is a Bulging Disc?

Spinal discs are cartilaginous joints that hold the vertebrae of your spine together. Their role is to absorb shock and allow movement at each spinal level. The spine has a total of 23 discs.

These anatomical structures are subject to wear and tear. At birth, about 80 percent of their content is water. As we age, our discs dehydrate and their cartilage becomes stiff, which may cause them to bulge out.

While aging is the most common cause of bulging discs, there are other factors that may contribute to this condition. These include:

• A family history of spinal problems
• Direct trauma
• Sports injuries
• Poor lifting technique
• Muscle and posture imbalances
• Cigarette smoking
• Obesity
• Lack of exercise
• Slips and falls

Sometimes, it takes just one wrong move to develop a bulging disc. That’s why people who participate in contact sports, as well as those whose jobs involve prolonged standing, driving, and repetitive lifting, are at higher risk.

Common mistakes, such as slouching in your chair and sitting with poor posture, can affect your discs too.

This problem is more common in middle-aged individuals. However, anyone can develop a bulging disc. Cigarette smoking, weight gain, and too much sitting can all increase your risk.

Bulging Disc Treatment Options

Unless your condition is severe, you may able to treat a bulging disc with rest and physiotherapy. Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs can help.

Bulging disc treatment options depend largely on your symptoms. Doctors often recommend acupuncture, electrotherapy, ice packs, or soft tissue massage for minor and moderately bulging disc injuries. You might also want to consider chiropractic treatment.

Another option is stem cell disc regeneration. This procedure stimulates the formation of new disc cells, which helps restore and rebuild damaged discs. Patients experience a reduction in pain and discomfort – and improved quality of life.

Surgery is only recommended in severe cases. If your back pain doesn’t settle with a conservative approach, this may your only option.

Let’s take a look at the best ways to treat a bulging disc and what to expect.

Physiotherapy

A bulging disc can place extra pressure on the muscles and nerves around it, causing pain. Medications only provide temporary relief. Plus, they fail to address the root cause of your problem.

Physiotherapy has emerged as a safe, effective way to treat bulging discs. Certain techniques, such as electrical stimulation, ultrasound therapy, traction, joint mobilization, and soft tissue massage, can relieve pain and improve your range of motion.

Electrical stimulation, for instance, helps reduce muscle spasms. Joint mobilization can increase your flexibility and normalize joint function.

Your physiotherapist may also recommend stretching and strengthening exercises that reduce back pain and improve your posture. He will create a workout plan that can be safely done at home with little or no equipment. The end goal is to improve your body mechanics and restore your mobility.

Furthermore, a physical therapist can show you how to exercise safely and what movements to avoid. The wrong kind of exercises can worsen your symptoms. Leg lifts, sit-ups, overhead weightlifting, and running are just a few to mention.

In general, it’s recommended to avoid high-impact workouts, heavy lifting, and contact sports.

Steer clear of any movements that involve repetitive forward-bending at the waist. Instead, opt for low-impact aerobic activities and stretching.

Ice and Heat Therapy

Unless you have excruciating pain, ice and heat therapy can help.

Ice packs reduce inflammation and swelling around the compressed spinal nerve. All you need to do is to apply ice on the affected areas for about 10 minutes; repeat several times a day.

Heat therapy may relieve muscle spasms and ease your pain. It also helps increase oxygen and blood flow to your tissues, leading to faster healing.

Depending on your symptoms, you may alternate ice and heat. However, be aware that heat isn’t effective against inflammation; in this case, it’s better to use ice.

Stem Cell Disc Regeneration

This quick, minimally invasive procedure may offer complete relief from back pain and other symptoms associated with bulging discs. In clinical trials, it has been shown to slow or stop the degenerative process and increase disc hydration.

As its name suggests, stem cell disc regeneration aims to restore damaged discs to their normal, healthy state. It has been proven effective in the treatment of bulging discs, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and other similar conditions.

Since this procedure uses your body’s own stem cells, it’s well tolerated and unlikely to cause adverse reactions. After you receive the treatment, you’re free to go home and resume you

Don’t Let Pain Take Over Your Life

As you see, there are various options for bulging disc treatment. Choosing one over another depends on your symptoms and the severity of your condition.

The sooner you receive treatment, the better. Early intervention can lower your risk of developing complications.

You deserve a pain-free life. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Book an appointment and find out how we can help!