Some upper or lower back pain stems from soreness after working out or irritation after a hard day at work when your body needs rest. Other back pain isn’t necessarily normal. If your lower back begins to hurt and you can’t find a reason associated with your lifestyle, habits or recent happenings, brushing off the ailment may stand as the last thing you should do.
But, how do you tell an everyday ache from a medical condition? And, when does long-lasting pain become chronic pain? Sharpening your ability to recognize back pain in your body means educating yourself, talking to doctors and becoming in tune with your muscles and joints.
Which Type of Back Pain Do You Have?
Three types of back pain exist: acute, chronic and neuropathic back pain.
Acute Back Pain
Acute back pain remains a common type of which most have probably experienced. It usually lasts less than three to six months and stems from damaged tissue. The pain-causing injury could be anything, like a cut, burn or bruise. Acute pain normally goes away, but continually thinking about the pain, suffering from a bad emotional state or experiencing ongoing pain signals long after the injury heals can prolong it.
Chronic Back Pain
Chronic back pain can emerge from either an obvious injury or an ongoing chain of pain signals to the brain long after the initial injury heals. Chronic upper or lower back pain from a clearly identifiable source, like a spinal injury, can usually be treated with a procedure.
Yet sometimes doctors cannot find the pain source. It’s often an error of the nervous system where pain messages still inform the brain of an injury that’s healed. Other times, one could blame failed back surgery or fibromyalgia. Whichever the case, back pain that comes from seemingly thin air is when it can be considered a disease.
Neuropathic Back Pain
Neuropathic back pain relates to no observable injuries. One simply endures back pain, which can come from the malfunction of injured nerves in the peripheral nervous system. Neuropathic pain remains similar to chronic pain, but feels slightly different, like sharp, stabbing pain, which is why doctors separate it.
Chronic Back Pain
Anyone who suffers from back pain knows there’s more to it than just having to lie in bed all day, take medicine and undergo procedures. It’s an intense emotional experience, from hope to frustration to disappointment.
It’s discouraging when the pain doesn’t go away after it seems you’ve been through every procedure in the book. It’s heartbreaking when family members and friends believe the pain remains more of desire for attention rather than an actual element of agony. And, it’s saddening when everyone around you moves forward living life while you watch from the sidelines.
Back pain sufferers endure mental pain as well, like depression or addiction to certain medications. Sometimes chronic back pain situations become enough to drive anyone mad. When doctors treat the body with pain management, they must also pay special attention to the mind as well.
Finding Freedom from Back Pain
Despite your back pain type, there’s a solution for you. A plethora of procedures exist that reduce or rid back pain. Sometimes it takes undergoing several to find the right one. Steroid injections, rhizotomies, and nerve blocks and deadenings stand as just a few minimally invasive procedures with less risk and quicker healing times compared to open surgery procedures.
Many minimally invasive procedures are designed to treat upper or lower back pain that involves nervous system problems where pain signals are released without an actual injury. Other procedures can treat both existing injuries and nervous system issues.
Plano Pain Relief Center for Chronic Back Pain
Back pain comes in many places, forms and severities for everyone. At the Pain Relief Center in Plano, we treat each patient uniquely by considering the most effective pain management options and tailoring healing methods to fit your needs. Dr. Gabriel Rodriguez and his team at the Pain Relief Center in Plano take a holistic medical approach to reduce your back pain so you can stop waiting and start living.
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