Finding Relief for Your Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most common reasons patients go visit their doctor. In 2021, according to the CDC, 39% of adults in the United States experienced back pain, with the percentage increasing with age. Back pain is most common in adults aged 50–55 and tends to be more common in women than men.

This widespread issue underscores the importance of understanding the causes, risk factors, and potential treatments for back pain, as well as the steps individuals can take to prevent it.

Since back pain is such a common pain point for the community, MemorialCare Orthopedic & Spine Institute at Long Beach Medical Center wants to raise awareness of the impact of chronic back pain and provide individuals with the tools to manage and reduce their pain. For those who suffer from chronic back pain, the goal is to help them regain control over their lives and return to the activities they love, pain-free.

Addressing pain is not just about physical relief; it’s also about educating and empowering people to seek the help they need. By understanding the causes and risk factors of back pain, individuals can take proactive steps to prevent it and seek appropriate treatment when necessary.

What are the Signs of Chronic Back Pain?

Back pain can be particularly debilitating, affecting nearly every aspect of a person’s life. Many people wake up and experience persistent pain each day, which can be both physically and emotionally exhausting, which is considered chronic back pain. The constant discomfort can lead to physical limitations, making it difficult to engage in everyday activities like walking, sitting, or lifting objects. This often results in emotional distress, as the pain can contribute to feelings of frustration, anxiety, and even depression. Over time, back pain can interfere with work, social interactions, and the ability to perform daily tasks, severely impacting the quality of life.

Chronic back pain is a significant health issue that affects millions of people worldwide. According to the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, 16 million adults in the United States - 8% of all adults - experience chronic back pain, which limits their ability to perform certain daily activities. Worldwide, up to 23% of adults suffer from chronic low back pain.

How is Back Pain Caused?

Understanding the underlying causes of back pain is crucial in managing and treating it effectively. Conditions often associated with back pain include:

• Muscle or ligament strain: Heavy lifting, sudden movements, or poor posture can lead to you overstretching or tearing the muscles or ligaments in the back.
• Bulging discs: Aging, injury, and repetitive strain to your back can cause the soft material in a disc in your back to bulge out of rupture, which can lead to pressure on the nerves.
• Osteoarthritis: Aging, joint injury, and genetic factors can lead to the degeneration of joint cartilage and underlying bone, often affecting the lower back and causing pain.
• Osteoporosis: Aging, hormonal changes, and nutritional deficiencies can lead to the weakening of the bones, which in result can lead to fractures in the spine due to the bones becoming porous and brittle.

What Factors Contribute to Back Pain?

There are many different risk factors that can lead to people developing back pain. Some of the most common risk factors include:

• Age: Around the ages of 30 to 40 it is common for individuals to start to experience back pain.
• Being Overweight: Being overweight can put extra stress on the back muscles.
• High Stress: People who chronically have poor sleep, depression, or anxiety often experience back pain more frequently.
• Muscle atrophy: This is when back muscles lack the strength and stability to support a person properly, leading to wear and tear over time.
• Bad Posture: Sitting hunched over all day, such as sitting behind a desk, can cause back pain over time. Maintaining poor posture for extended periods can lead to misalignment of the spine and increased pressure on the intervertebral discs.
• Improper lifting: Improper lifting technique when people use their back instead of their legs to lift objects it can cause injury. Using incorrect lifting techniques can result in sudden strain or injury to the back, especially when handling heavy objects.

How Can I Manage my Back Pain?

Being mindful of all the different back pain risk factors and learning how to avoid these different actions are a great start to preventing further back pain.

Focusing on your overall health is a great start to easing chronic back pain. Regular exercise, particularly low-impact aerobics, can strengthen back muscles and improve endurance. Engaging in consistent physical activity not only helps build muscle strength but also improves flexibility and blood circulation, which are crucial for maintaining spinal health.

Some examples of low-impact aerobics activities you can participate in:

• Walking or jogging
• Cycling
• Swimming

Participating in physical therapy is also a great way to do different exercises with the help of a physical therapist to help get your back in shape. Stretching, range-of-motion exercises, and spine strengthening and conditioning exercises are used to strengthen the back and condition the muscles to help improve mobility and ease pain.

The MemorialCare Rehabilitation Institute works in partnership with the Spine Health Center at Long Beach Medical Center offers physical therapy specialized with treatments tailored to the individual patient's needs. Physical therapy maximizes movement potential and long-term wellness to speed up recovery, decrease pain and help a patient return to an active, healthy lifestyle with high quality treatment, exercise, support, and education.

When should I see a doctor about my back pain?

If your pain lasts over two weeks, gets worse as time goes by, or you are experiencing other symptoms, such as fever, unexplained weight loss or weight gain, loss of function or weakness in extremities, or bladder problems, it may be time for you to visit your primary care physician. They will assess you and determine if you need a specialist if you are on an HMO plan. If you are on a PPO plan you can make an appointment directly with a spine specialist.

It is important to pay attention to your body and take note of any changes that might have occurred over time. Many back problems can continue to get worse if you don’t get the help that you need.

I always encourage my patients to try non-surgical treatment options before considering surgery as an option. If you have chronic back pain and these treatments aren’t working, surgery might be necessary. It's important to explore all available options and discuss them with your healthcare provider to determine the best course of action for your specific condition.

When is Spine Surgery Necessary?

Spine surgery is usually the last option considered for treating back pain, and it's only necessary when other treatments haven't worked. Situations where spine surgery might be necessary include:

• Severe pain: Constant pain that doesn’t improve with non-surgical treatment.
• Herniated or Ruptured Discs: Occurs when a spinal disc moves out of place or breaks open, putting pressure on nearby nerves or the spinal cord.
• Spinal Stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal that compresses and puts pressure on the nerves or the spinal cord.
• Nerve Issues: If there is weakness, numbness, or pain in the arms or legs.
• Spinal infection: If there is a spine infection or a high fever accompanied by back pain
• Trauma: If there is a fractured or dislocated bone in the back.
• Spinal Tumor: If there is a tumor located on the spinal cord.

The Spine Center’s surgeons are highly-trained in the latest complex spine surgery techniques and procedures, with some also trained in the latest spine surgery technology on the market, ExcelsiusGPS® — a revolutionary robotic navigation technology that creates a surgical plan based on the patient’s unique anatomy and guides a robotic arm to a specific region of the spine, similar to a planned pathway on GPS.

If you are experiencing severe back or spine problems, the Spine Health Center at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center offers elective surgical procedures for patients suffering from spine injuries and spine disorders. With its extensive pre-operative education, patients feel confident about their upcoming surgery.