Back Pain

If you’re experiencing back pain, you’re not alone. Back pain, one of the most common medical conditions in the US, can range from a dull, recurring ache to sharp, sudden pain. At Saint Vincent Hospital, we have back and spine care specialists and neurosurgeons to help relieve your back pain.

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Move Better, Live Better

If back pain already affects the quality of your life, consider getting advanced and personalized back pain treatment at Saint Vincent Hospital. Our back doctors in Worcester, MA will work with you to give you a course of treatment and recovery options, focusing on recommending nonsurgical options first.

However, if non-invasive treatment options do not work, we may perform any of our spine surgery procedures suitable for your case. No matter the cause of your back pain, we can help you determine the best plan of action for your back pain through our skilled, hands-on evaluation and diagnosis.

What Causes Back Pain

Back pain may be caused by structural or medical problems that develop in the spine, muscles, ligaments, tendons or discs in the back. Inflammatory and other medical conditions may also hurt a patient’s back. While certain diseases and traumatic injuries can cause back pain, here are the common causes of back pain:

Improper Body Mechanics
Incorrect Bending or Lifting Techniques
Poor Posture
Poor Physical Condition

Our spine specialists use their clinical expertise for a quick, accurate diagnosis to develop a plan of care that fits your needs. We will exhaust every appropriate treatment option before considering surgery. For instance, our interventional specialists treat back pain with nonsurgical approaches such as medication management and injections.

However, there are cases where prescribed rest, exercise, conditioning programs or physical therapy are insufficient. If a surgical procedure becomes the right choice, our team of spine treatment specialists, including orthopedic specialists and neurosurgeons, are trained to effectively correct problems related to:

Acquired and congenital spinal deformities
Ankylosing spondylolisthesis
Congenital changes to the backbone
Degenerative disc disease
Dislocations and subluxations
Endometriosis
Fibromyalgia
Fractured vertebrae
Herniated or ruptured disc
Inflammatory arthritis affecting the spine
Kidney stones
Mechanical back dysfunction
Osteoporosis
Pregnancy
Scoliosis
Spinal stenosis
Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis
Sprain
Strain and contusions
Systemic diseases affecting the spine
Traumatic and overuse spinal injuries
Tumors that develop on the spine or other back parts (rare)
Whiplash injuries
Work-related back pain

What Is a Spine Specialist Called?

The types of healthcare providers who will be involved in treating your back pain will depend on the cause of your condition:

Neurologists: treat conditions and disorders affecting the brain, spine and nerves
Neurosurgeons: perform surgery to treat nerve, brain and spinal disorders
Orthopedists: treat and perform surgery for diseases affecting the joints and bones
Pain specialists such as anesthesiologists with specialization in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of various pain types
Physical therapists: specialize in strengthening muscles
Primary or family care doctors
Rheumatologists: specialize in treating autoimmune disorders and musculoskeletal disease

When Should You See a Spine Specialist?

Depending on the severity of your back pain, you may feel pain only in a specific spot on your back or pain that radiates to your leg, hip or buttocks. You may experience worsening back pain when lifting, bending, sitting, standing or resting. Some people may feel back stiffness upon waking up with pain that lessens with activity.

You should visit a doctor if your back pain does not improve after a few weeks or if it comes along with fever, difficulty in urinating, unintended weight loss or pain, weakness or numbness in your legs. See a doctor if you feel:

Back pain after an injury or fall
Severe back pain that medication does not improve
Tingling and numbness

Back Pain Treatment

Your doctor may recommend medications to treat your back pain, such as:

Anti-inflammatory drugs
Muscle relaxants
Numbing injections
Over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers

You may use cold packs to relieve some back pain and hot packs to increase blood flow in your back’s muscles and tissues to promote healing. As much as possible, avoid bed rest. Limit exercise or activities that cause pain. Increase physical activity at a pace you can tolerate.

When performing daily activities such as pulling, pushing or lifting, properly move your body. Healthy habits such as relaxation, exercise, regular sleep, quitting smoking and a healthy diet can help prevent back pain.

Physical therapy and exercise may help decrease back pain by strengthening the muscles that support your back and improving your posture, mobility and positioning. Consult with your physician before starting an exercise routine. Here are other alternative and complementary treatments that may relieve your back pain:

Acupuncture: Chinese practice that uses needles to relieve pain
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): low-voltage electric currents are used to treat pain
Spinal manipulation: to massage and adjust the spine and muscles

What Are the Different Types of Back Pain Surgery?

Back surgery procedures may be recommended to relieve pain. A doctor must thoroughly assess a patient for surgery, as not everyone may qualify. The type of surgery will depend on a patient’s medical history and the cause of back pain. The doctor will walk a patient through back pain surgery's risks and possible benefits. Here are standard spine surgery procedures:

Disc replacement surgery: a surgeon replaces a damaged spinal disc with a synthetic one
Discectomy and microdiscectomy: relieve pressure on a nerve root or spinal canal by removing part of a herniated disc
Foraminotomy: treats spinal stenosis by cleaning out and widening the area where the nerve roots leave the spinal canal
Laminectomy: the doctor eases pressure on the nerves of the back by removing the bony spurs of a patient with spinal stenosis
Laser surgery: relieves pressure on the nerves by using a laser to reduce the size of a damaged spinal disc
Radiofrequency lesioning: prevents pain signals from reaching the spinal cord
Spinal fusion: treats spondylolisthesis and degenerative disc disease by joining together the spinal vertebrae that have slipped from their original position

How Serious Is Back Surgery?

Back pain surgery can carry higher risks than other surgery types because this procedure is done closer to the nervous system. A patient with successful surgery may still take a long time to recover. Some patients may lose their flexibility permanently.

Treatment That Brings Relief

We strive to help you through personalized and compassionate care during your spine care journey. Contact us to receive an appropriate diagnosis on the possible causes of your back pain so we may recommend treatment options that may ease your pain.

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Request one of our specialists to get a second opinion, or a really good first one.

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Six Ways You’re Making Knee Pain Worse

While it may seem like knee pain is an inevitable fact of aging, you may be able to avoid it.

In fact, you may be doing some things unintentionally that are causing your knee pain, or making the aches and twinges you already have worse.

Do any of these sound familiar?

You’re overweight. Your knee joints are your shock absorbers and stabilizers. The more weight you carry, the more pressure on your knees. You don’t need to reach your so-called ideal weight to feel a difference; every pound you lose reduces the strain on your knees.

You don’t warm up or cool down properly when you exercise. Be sure to ease into workouts by starting slowly to give muscles a chance to warm up, and stretch adequately afterward, particularly the muscles in your legs. Flexibility is one important key to good knee health.

You jog or walk downhill a lot, or on hard surfaces. When you go downhill (or down stairs), you put more pressure on your knee joints. You can’t always avoid it, of course, but if you’re mapping out a walking or jogging route, you’re better off on gently sloping or flat surfaces. And speaking of surfaces, skip hard cement and pavement in favor of something with a little bit of bounce or give, like a running track or trail.

You wear ill-fitting shoes. Good arch support is important to help absorb some of the pressure your knees normally take. If you have flat feet, consider inserts for your shoes. (If you have arthritis, ask your doctor about special inserts specifically for you.) And avoid flip-flops and other very flat shoes with no support.

You don’t allow enough recovery time. Did you strain your knee playing tennis or some other sport? Most minor knee injuries will heal on their own with rest. (Try the RICE method: rest, ice, compression, elevation.) If you continue to exercise or play a sport when you have an injury, you’re more likely to make your pain worse and risk a more serious injury.

You’re resting too much. While you don’t want to, say, sign up for a 10K race when your knees hurt, avoiding movement altogether is also bad. The less you move, the weaker your muscles become. The weaker your muscles, the more work your joints have to do. With your doctor’s approval, find an activity that doesn’t aggravate knee pain, such as cycling, swimming, tai chi or walking.

Talk with your doctor for more information and treatment options for knee pain.