Back pain can have many causes. With time, the discomfort will sometimes go away on its own, but if it doesn’t, the best way to find fast and effective relief is to see an experienced specialist. If you’re in the Houston, Texas, area, you are welcome to consult a fellowship-trained, board-certified spine surgeon at Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. Matthew P. Cubbage, M.D., or Alexander R. Mohr, M.D., can pinpoint the cause of your severe or persistent back pain and then guide you through your treatment options to overcome it.
What causes back pain?
In many cases, the source of back pain is mechanical in nature, which means it can usually be traced to an issue with a disc, vertebra, facet joint, nerve root, ligament or other tissue in the spinal column. For instance, back pain may result from:
- A sprain or strain caused by a bout of heavy lifting
- Age-related spinal degeneration, which can lead to conditions such as degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, facet syndrome and spinal stenosis
- Spinal nerve compression
- A spinal injury, such as a vertebral fracture that resulted from a fall or other direct trauma
How is back pain treated?
Back pain treatment can vary based on a number of factors, including the severity of the symptoms and the source of the pain. Based on your diagnosis, we may discuss:
- Physical therapy to improve your posture, enhance your flexibility and strengthen the muscles that support your spine
- A back brace, which can support and stabilize your spine during certain activities
- Medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), analgesics or muscle relaxants
- Spinal injections, which can place a powerful anti-inflammatory medication directly into a painful area of your spine
- Surgery to address a specific issue, such as a compressed spinal nerve or vertebral fracture
At Advanced Orthopaedics, we offer a full range of back pain treatment options, including both surgical and nonsurgical therapies. Because we maintain a conservative treatment philosophy, you can count on us to help you find meaningful relief using the least invasive approach possible. Typically, we encourage our patients to try conservative treatment for several months before considering any type of surgery.
If you ultimately decide to proceed with surgical back pain treatment, you can feel confident entrusting your surgery to Dr. Cubbage or Dr. Mohr. Both are trained and experienced in performing the latest minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques, including disc replacement surgery and alternative bone graft substitutes.
If you’d like to discuss your back pain with a spine specialist, contact Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine of Houston, TX, to schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Cubbage or Dr. Mohr.