A physician who specializes in pain management knows how to treat pain of all sorts. Neck pain and back pain are usually caused by problems in the spine, especially the spinal cord.
Back pain along the spine may be due to tight muscles, degenerative disc disease, a herniated disc, or fractures in one or more vertebrae, but it is most often caused by pressure on the nerves in that sensitive area of the central nervous system. The spinal cord delivers all signals between the nerves and the brain.
A pain management doctor is up-to-date on the latest in pain-relieving therapies and techniques in order to improve a patient’s quality of life. These methods are continually improving in their effectiveness and are becoming less and less invasive, which is easier on the body.
How a Doctor Can Treat Back Pain
Let’s talk about some of the ways in which pain management doctors can treat spine pain, especially chronic back pain:
Medication
Medicines that are often prescribed or recommended for treating include anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, and antidepressants. If one medication doesn’t work by itself, a combination of treatments may be able to produce long-term relief from spine pain.
Physical Therapy
Pain management specialists often recommend physical therapy to patients who are suffering from chronic spine pain. Active physical therapy involves stretching and strengthening exercises, whereas passive physical therapy involves modalities such as temperature therapy (heat and cold treatment), ultrasound, massage, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to boost circulation.
Injection Therapy
Injection therapies that are used to help relieve back pain include nerve blocks, epidural injections, and facet-joint injections. Nerve blocks contain a powerful combination of anesthetics and corticosteroids that are delivered directly to the nerve root where it resides in the spine.
Your pain management doctor will be able to detect the specific spot in the spine where the pain is emanating from, and deliver the blocking agent in order to “turn off” the nerve that is sending pain messages to the brain.
Radiofrequency Treatment
Radiofrequency ablation is a therapy that utilizes electric current from sound waves and is applied directly to the affected area. The electric current heats up the nerves which are the source of the pain signals and deactivates them, thereby preventing the transmission of pain signals.
Interventional Pain Management
Pain management doctors routinely use interventional pain management methods to address the source of the patient’s chronic pain. The therapies that are commonly used in this realm include a combination of injection therapy, electrical stimulation, physical therapy, radiofrequency ablation, and other solutions.
Spine Pain Management in Southeast Michigan
Our pain management specialists at Ahlgren Spine provide traditional and interventional therapies to relieve neck and back pain caused by spine disorders. Our goal is to bring you immediate relief from the all-consuming experience of being in pain. You’ll finally get that good night’s sleep that you need.
To request an appointment with our pain management specialists, call Ahlgren Spine today at (248) 215-8080 or fill out our appointment request form online now. We look forward to being your healthcare partner for maintaining a pain-free lifestyle!
