Have you recently lifted a heavy object improperly? Do you have poor posture or arthritis? Have you experienced back pain since then? So have other people just like you. Read more to find out what the five most common causes of back pain could be and how it can be treated. \
Back Pain Statistics
Did you know that 31 million Americans experience back pain at any given time? In fact, it’s the leading cause of disability worldwide and the second most common reason for visits to the doctor office.
Typically, 70 percent of all spine problems occur in the lower back or lumbar region, and 30 percent happen in the neck or cervical region.
Usually, pain comes from the gradual wear and tear of our bodies and the gradual wear and tear of the discs in our backs.
However, there are five other common sources of spine pain that you could be experiencing.
5 Common Sources of Back Pain
- Muscle
- Mild, achy soreness
- Short duration
- Patients rarely seek medical attention
- Bone
- Compression fractures. These are a very common type of fracture followed by burst fractures. Compression fractures heal spontaneously in three to four months in 95 percent of patients. Some are minimally symptomatic. In patients with severe pain or very slow improving pain, kyphoplasty is a treatment option.
- Tumors. They cause an unrelenting pain that usually leads to compression fractures.
- Infections. Unrelenting, severe pain, weight loss, fevers and lethargy are all caused from infections. However, infections of the spine are rare.
- Disc
- Annular tears. These cause acute, severe but short-lived pain — typically, one to six weeks. Resolves spontaneously, but sometimes causes incapacitating pain for one to three days.
- Degenerative. Virtually universal radiographically by age 40. Rarely is this the sole cause for surgery.
- Nerve
- Sciatica. A compression of nerve roots causing radiculopathy.
- Compression of the thecal sac. This will cause intense pressure like pain in the back or pain/ intense fatigue in legs. This pain is unresponsive to conservative treatment and will need surgery.
- Facet
- Lateralized low back pain
- Not a surgical source of pain
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
At Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates, the vast majority of patients we see with spine pain are not candidates for spine surgery. Almost 99 percent of the patients we see can be treated with more conservative methods.
However, when a patient does need surgery, most surgeries are considered minimally invasive and are performed through tiny incisions instead of one large opening. Because the incisions are small, patients tend to have quicker recovery times and less discomfort than with conventional surgery — all with the same benefits.
If you have spine pain, and want to know if you are a candidate for surgery, download our checklist of symptoms, or schedule an appointment with our spine surgeon, Eric D. Nabors, M.D., by calling 304-599-0720. No referral necessary!
Contact us to schedule an appointment.