Posts Tagged ‘Back’
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Back pain is one of the most common complaints among men and women. It is estimated that approximately 60-75% of the adult population suffers from one or the other kind of back pain. At one time, it was believed that back pain only afflicted people over 40-45 years of age. These days, however, even children and young adults complain of acute back pain.
Since it is a common ailment, many people ignore their back pain and carry on with normal activities, in spite of the pain. A good percentage of sufferers visit doctors for their back pain only when they are completely incapacitated by the pain. Others prefer to pop painkilling medications from time to time. So, how do you know whether you need to see a doctor for your back pain?
If you have a persistent, low impact back pain, you may be better off taking care of it yourself. The trick is to know what activities are causing the pain and avoid doing such activities. For instance, many pregnant women develop back pain when they stand continuously. The solution is to avoid standing for long periods of time so you can avoid damage to your back.
In a good majority of people suffering from back pain, the roots of the problem lie in mechanical problems that are somewhat difficult to pinpoint. For instance, the muscles in the back may go into a spasm when you lift heavy objects, bend over or sit in an uncomfortable position. Long term abuse of the back in this way leads to weakening of the muscles or damage of the nerves in the back. Patients often reach a point where the pain begins to interfere with normal activities. A good percentage of people suffering from mechanical lower back pain problems get over their pain without any special therapy.
In some cases, the causes of back pain are more complicated. Back pain could be the result of infections, tumors or vascular diseases, among other things. The pain caused by such problems may be different:
Pain that radiates down the leg
Pain in the thigh
Constant pain
Pain in the chest, groin or rectal areas
Pain that shoots up at night
Bowel and bladder control problems
Back pain accompanied by fever and weight loss
Pain following injury
Problems in maintaining posture and balance while walking
In such cases, patients must visit a doctor for their back pain immediately.
It is a regular practice for most families to meet their family doctor for back pain relief. However, studies show that family doctors may be inclined to stick with traditional back pain therapies and may not easily adapt to modern therapy practices.
In case of chronic back pain, surgery may be the only route to back pain relief. Orthopedists, rheumatologists, neurologists or neurosurgeons may be called in to treat back pain depending on the kind of problem that is causing the pain.
The back doctors at Minimally Invasive Spine Institute (MISI) successfully performs endoscopic laser spine surgery.
Managing your back pain can be difficult for many people. Along with general practitioners, there are many back doctors that have devoted the time to correcting more specific types of back and neck pain.
If before the end of your treatment you find yourself bouncing from back doctor to back doctor with referral after referral its is likely because many back doctors specialties overlap with each other. Seeing as it can be confusing trying to understand what the different types of back doctors can offer you for relief of your back or neck pain, lets take a look at them in more detail.
Family and General Practitioners: Most times with any health problem that is not an emergency, your first place to go is your family doctor. With the range of health problems out there, your family doctor will be well versed in many of them, including back and neck pain. If your problem is serious, your doctor will order diagnostic test, most likely refer you to a specialist and probably prescribe you medication to help with your pain.
Pediatricians: Providing treatment and diagnosis for ages that range from childhood to early adult years a pediatrician a the family doctor for your child. Just like the family doctor a pediatrician is well skilled and able to cover a wide variety of health issues including back pain.
Orthopedists: This is the back doctor that specializes in ailments of the musculoskeletal system. This includes the spine and spans from head to foot. Sciatica, ruptured disks, scoliosis or low back pain are conditions that an orthopedist may deal with on a regular basis.
ER back doctors: If you are having severe problems controlling your bladder or bowel functions and/or your legs are growing progressively weaker, it is imperative that you go to the emergency room and let them know. These are symptoms or Cauda Equine Syndrome, one of the very few life threatening back problems. Never attempt to move a person with a neck injury unless failure to do so would result in a life threatening circumstance, call 911.
Neurologists: This back doctor diagnoses and treats conditions related to your nervous system. This profession is focused on people who have suffered from a stroke or have Parkinson’s and related brain diseases. If you have chronic or longstanding back pain, a neurologist is an expert at finding the source of your back pain. The function of this back doctor is also to examine your nerves and see how they are reacting in reference to you movements, reflexes, sensations and balance.
Chiropractors: These back doctors use a hands on alternative to conventional medicine. The goal is to treat your health through the effect of spinal anatomy on the functioning of the body. The chiropractor aims to remove interruptions to the flow of nerve transmissions.
Rheumatologists: A rheumatologist is a back doctor that specializes in treating musculoskeletal and arthritis related conditions. Some of the more common back conditions that are treated are spinal arthritis and spinal stenosis. These specialists also treat diseases that are related to back pain such as osteoporosis and fibromyalgia. The main job of a rheumatologist is to discover the reason behind your swelling and pain.
Are you interested in Laser Back Surgery? Have a look at some of the most popular frequently asked questions people ask.