Back pain can affect you at any age, especially as you grow older, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with it. At Advanced Pain Management Specialists in Baytown, Texas, Jerome Carter, MD, offers innovative back pain solutions, like spinal cord stimulators. To find answers for your back pain, call Advanced Pain Management Specialists or schedule an appointment online today.

request an appointment

What is back pain?

Your back is a strong and flexible network of joints, bones, ligaments, nerves, and muscles. This complex system also leaves it vulnerable to injury. While you can have pain in any area of your back, it’s most common in the lower region of your spine.

There are four primary regions to your back, and they often have different causes of pain, including:

  • Neck pain: Ligament, tendon, or neck strains
  • Upper back pain: Irritation of joints or muscles
  • Lower back pain: Muscle strain
  • Bottom spine pain: Damage, injury, or problems like herniated discs

When you have back pain, you often experience a wide range of symptoms that include muscle aches, limited range of motion and flexibility, and shooting, stabbing, or radiating pain. In some cases, back pain can be debilitating.

What causes back pain?

At least 80% of Americans experience some form of back pain during their lifetime. The most common causes of back discomfort include:

  • Injury or trauma
  • Ligament or muscle strain
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Osteoporosis
  • Fractures of your vertebrae
  • Herniated, ruptured, or bulging discs
  • Skeletal irregularities

While back pain can affect anyone, you have higher risks of problems: as you grow older; if you use improper techniques when lifting or exercising; or have a sedentary lifestyle and are overweight or obese.

How do you diagnose and treat back pain?

As an experienced pain management specialist, Dr. Carter identifies the source of your back pain by performing a comprehensive physical exam, looking at your medical history, and reviewing your symptoms. They might also recommend digital imaging like X-rays and MRIs to look for soft tissue conditions or bone changes that could be triggering your discomfort.

After reaching a diagnosis, Dr. Carter might suggest several pain management strategies to control your condition, including:

  • Medications, like pain relievers, muscle relaxants, or anti-inflammatories
  • Topical ointments
  • Nerve blocks or cortisone injections
  • Physical therapy

Dr. Carter also offers innovative treatments like spinal cord stimulators. This advanced approach uses gentle electric currents to interrupt the transmission of pain signals to your brain from nerves in your spine.

For more information on back pain therapies, call Advanced Pain Management Specialists or schedule an appointment online today.