Approximately 16 million Americans or 8 percent of all U.S. adults experience chronic pain and are limited from performing certain day-to-day activities as a result of their pain. In fact, some 83 million workdays are lost per year due to this condition, with chronic back pain as the leading cause of both work-loss days and work limitations. In addition to missing work, adults with back pain are also considerably less active, reporting limitations related to social and recreational activities.

While acute back pain usually gets better on its own with the help of medications and rest, chronic back pain requires the assistance of the pain management physicians in Orlando who can accurately pinpoint the exact cause of your pain and develop a multi-step, customized treatment approach. As with all types of pain, treatment will vary depending on your symptoms and the severity of your pain.

Types of Treatment Provided By a Pain Dr Near Me for Neck Pain/Midback Pain

Neck and Middle back pain also known as cervical and thoracic pain is any pain that occurs at your neck and above the bottom of your rib cage in an area known as the cervical and thoracic spine. Common conditions that may result in this type of pain include herniated disc, facet joint arthritis, stenosis, and degeneration. The following treatments may be recommended by a pain dr near me for cervical or thoracic pain:

• Facet Joint Injection: In this procedure, a physician will inject a local anesthetic, guide a needle into your facet joint with x-ray guidance, and deposit an anti-inflammatory medication like cortisone.
• Intercostal Nerve Block: An intercostal nerve block is a simple procedure that involves an injection of medication for patients with rib fractures or post surgical pain following upper abdominal or chest surgery.
• Trigger Point Injection: Trigger point injection is when a physician insets a small needle into the trigger point containing a local anesthetic and possibly a corticosteroid. With this injection, the trigger point is rendered inactive and the pain is alleviated.

Types of Treatment Provided for Lower Back/Lumbar Pain

Lower back or lumbar pain, on the other hand, is any pain that occurs in the region below your ribcage. This area includes the lumbar spine, the spinal cord, the discs between the vertebrae, and more. Common conditions that may result in this type of pain include lumbar herniated disc, lumbar degenerative disc disease, post laminectomy syndrome, and coccyx pain, just to name a few. Treatment options provided by one of the pain management physicians in Orlando may include:

• Spinal Cord Stimulation: During this procedure, a small device with electrodes (leads) known as a spinal cord stimulator is placed in your epidural space during x-ray guidance. This device then sends currents to your spinal cord that compete with the entry of pain signals.
• Kyphoplasty: In kyphoplasty, a special bone cement is injected into the fractured vertebra to provide immediate relief from spinal pain and restore mobility after a balloon is used to restore the height of the fracture.
• Radiofrequency Ablations: In this procedure, part of the pain-transmitting nerve is heated with a radiofrequency needle in order to create a heat lesion and prevent the nerve from sending painful signals to the brain. This avoids steroids and provides long-term relief to patients (6 months to 1 year).

To discover which method of treatment is appropriate for the back pain you’re experiencing, reach out to a pain physician like Dr. Patel as soon as possible. He will perform an initial consultation, discover the root of your pain, and immediately get to work assembling a customized, multi-faceted treatment plan.