Back Pain Specialist

About 8% of Americans suffer from back pain that keeps them from living a full and active life. If you’re dealing with frustrating limitations due to chronic back pain, Alliance Spine Associates, LLC can help in their Fair Lawn, New Jersey office. The renowned pain management specialists offer a broad range of minimally invasive treatments, procedures, and surgeries to ease your pain with lasting results. Call the office today or book an appointment online.

When should I seek pain management for back pain?

Back pain affects everyone from time to time, but in most cases, it fades after a few days of rest. But chronic back pain is an entirely different clinical condition, because it disrupts your everyday life. If you’re struggling to work, sleep, walk, or complete any other basic functions of your life, it’s time to seek pain management at Alliance Spine Associates, LLC.

You might want to seek pain management if you’re taking strong prescription medications like opioids to manage your back pain. Among the more commonly prescribed opioids are:

• Hydrocodone (Vicodin®)
• Oxycodone (Xtampza, OxyContin®, Percocet®)
• Oxymorphone (Opana®)
• Morphine (Kadian®, Avinza®)
• Codeine
• Fentanyl
• Hydromorphone
• Tapentadol

Because of the addictive nature of these drugs, plus the fact that medication is only a short-term relief, pain management can be a better solution for long-term relief.

What causes back pain?

Back pain can be caused by an acute injury, like an auto accident, or it can develop over many years. Some of the most common causes of back pain are:

• Narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis)
• Herniated discs
• Pinched nerves
• Degenerative disc disease
• Fractures related to bone thinning (osteoporosis)
• Abnormal spinal curvature (scoliosis)
• Arthritis

Back pain can also develop because of skeletal abnormalities, for example, sideways spinal curvature (scoliosis) or forward rounding of the back (kyphosis).

How is back pain diagnosed?

Back pain diagnosis requires a thorough medical history review, physical examination, and thorough assessment of any available diagnostic studies. As a patient, you might need further diagnostic studies such as imaging studies (X-rays, a CT scans, an MRIs, or ultrasound), nerve studies, or diagnostic procedures (discography, medial branch block) to narrow down the cause of your pain.

If the team suspects that a diseased spinal disc is causing your back pain, they can perform a minimally invasive procedure called provocative discography, to determine which specific diseased disc is causing the pain.

How is back pain treated?

The team initially recommends the most conservative approach possible to help you overcome your back pain. Most people can avoid traditional back surgery thanks to the high-tech methods and state-of-the-art equipment at Alliance Spine Associates, LLC.

Back pain treatment often includes noninvasive measures like physical therapy and weight loss along with one or more of these minimally invasive procedures:

• Epidural steroid injections
• Trigger point injections
• Selective nerve root blocks
• Facet joint or medial branch blocks
• Sacroiliac joint injections 
• Lumbar sympathetic blocks
• Minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD)
• Cervical/Lumbar Medial Branch Radio Frequency Neuro-Ablation (Facet Joints)
• Lateral Branch Rradio Frequency Nneuro-Ablation (Sacro Iliac Joints)
• Spinal cord stimulation
• Intrathecal pain pumps
• Percutaneous endoscopic discectomy

The specific treatment approach will depend on what’s causing your back pain, how severe it is, and what you prefer. 

Alliance Spine Associates, LLC is here to help you live without back pain. Call the office today or schedule your appointment online.