Back pain is the leading cause of disability in the world, and it accounts for over 264 million sick days in the United States every year. If you’re suffering, don’t become a statistic. Instead, get help from Jersey Integrative Health and Wellness, with locations Wayne, and in Jersey City, New Jersey. The team offers patients a variety of non-narcotic back pain solutions, including epidural steroid injections, facet injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, osteopathic manipulative treatment, physical therapy, and acupuncture. No matter your symptoms, there’s a treatment for you. To get started, call or use the online booking tool today.
Back Pain
Back Pain Q & A
What causes back pain?
No one event causes back pain. Back pain may be caused by a host of ailments and injuries, including:
- Ruptured or bulging discs
- Osteoarthritis
- Spinal stenosis
- Ligament strain or muscle strain
- Skeletal abnormalities
- Osteoporosis
Sometimes, back pain is a symptom of a more serious condition, like kidney stones.
Who is at risk for back pain?
Anyone can have back pain. However, some people are at a higher risk for back pain than others. Risk factors for back pain include:
- Age – The likelihood of back pain increases as you get older.
- Inactivity – If you’re inactive, your abdominal and back muscles eventually become weak. Weak muscles that don’t support your frame properly can lead to back pain.
- Poor mental health – Studies show that people who struggle with conditions like anxiety and depression are more likely to also suffer with back pain.
- Smoking – Smoking decreases blood flow to the lower spine, making it harder for nutrients to reach the discs in your spine. Without these nutrients, the discs can cause you pain.
- Lifting and twisting – You’re more at risk for back pain if you regularly perform heavy lifting tasks, or repeated tasks that require a lot of twisting or awkward movement.
- Extra weight – Extra weight on your body, whether from carting around a heavy backpack or from excess body weight, can put a strain on the back.
How is back pain treated without narcotics?
Jersey Integrative Health and Wellness can help you overcome back pain with a variety of non-narcotic treatments, including:
- Epidural steroid injections – Epidural steroid injections reduce back pain by calming inflammation.
- Facet injections – Facet injections are injections that the team injects into the zygapophysial joints, also known as facet joints, located on the back of the spine where they numb pain. Facet joints facilitate motion and provide support and stability.
- Nerve blocks – Nerve blocks are procedures that manage or prevent pain by blocking pain signals in certain nerves.
- Radiofrequency ablation – Radiofrequency ablation reduces chronic neck pain, low back pain, and pain from joint degeneration. It emits an electrical current to heat up targeted areas of your nerve tissue, in order to decrease that area’s pain signals.
- OMT – Osteopathic manipulative treatment, also known as OMT, refers to a variety of hands-on exercises that the team can apply to joints and muscles to treat pain. OMT manipulations include stretches, resistance exercises, and pressure applications.
- Physical therapy – Physical therapy is a good option for chronic back pain and for recurring back pain. During physical therapy, your team leads you in active and passive exercises designed to increase your mobility, strengthen your back, and decrease your pain.
- Acupuncture – Acupuncture, a therapy during which a skilled practitioner inserts tiny needles into pressure points around the body, helps ease the back pain of many patients.
Back pain doesn’t have to be forever. If you’re tired of hurting, reach out to Jersey Integrative Health and Wellness to see how they can help you. To begin your road to recovery, call or use the online booking tool today.