What is Back Pain?
Back pain is by far one of the most common complaints amongst adults in the US, most often occurring on the lower back or lumbar spine. Back pain can be broken down into two categories, acute and chronic. Acute back pain is sudden and is usually limited to bouts ranging from a few days, to weeks, or even a month or so. Chronic back pain gets progressively worse as the days go on and is a condition that individuals must live with for long periods of time — generally lasting at least 3-4 months, and constantly recurring throughout life.
Symptoms
Back pain, in itself, is often a major symptom of a majority of spinal disorders, including, a herniated disc, scoliosis, spondylosis, and more. While back pain is essentially a symptom itself, depending upon the source, it is often accompanied by other issues such as:
Back pain is also a symptom of certain disorders such as:
- Herniated Discs
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Scoliosis
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spondylosis
- Spinal Compression
Treatment
Because back pain is quite a general condition, Dr. Varma will decide your treatment protocol based on the source of your back pain. For general back injuries, and lifestyle issues surgery may not be necessary. In these instances, pain medication (both OTC & Prescription), muscle relaxers, cortisone shots, and topical creams can help alleviate back pain. In addition, physical therapy might be needed as well.
During your consultation, for more severe back pain, caused by spinal injury or disorder, Dr. Varma will likely recommend surgical measures. Depending what the specific issue is, Dr. Varma specializes in various surgical spine procedures, including:
- Variations of Spinal Fusion
- Disc Replacement
- Microdecompression
- Motion Preservation Surgery
