Back Pain

Integrated Spine and Pain Services

Interventional Pain Management Specialist located in Northern Virginia, Falls Church, VA & Alexandria, VA

Back pain is such a widespread problem that very few people are lucky enough to never experience it in any form. If your back pain is interfering with your work or home life, the team at Integrated Spine and Pain Services in Alexandria, Falls Church, Virginia, can help. Diana Lam, PA-C, and Addison Lindberg, MS, PA-C, can diagnose the cause of your back pain and provide cutting-edge treatments that restore function and relieve your discomfort. To schedule a consultation, call Integrated Spine and Pain Services or book an appointment online.

Back Pain Q & A

What causes back pain?

Acute and chronic back pain are among the most common reasons for taking time off work and having limited mobility. Back problems are often due to acute tissue damage from falls, sudden or awkward movements, or being in a work accident or car wreck.

You can also hurt your back by doing more than you’re fit enough to manage or by lifting something heavy or bulky without using safe lifting techniques. If your job or an activity you enjoy involves making the same movement repeatedly over many months and years, that can cause back pain, too. While these activities can lead to back pain from acute and chronic tissue damage, the pain can also result from degeneration and disease.

What conditions could be causing my back pain?

You could have a degenerative condition, where the tissues or bones deteriorate with age. These kinds of conditions include:

Osteoarthritis
Degenerative disc disease
Osteoporosis
Herniated disc
Facet joint arthrosis
Spondylolysis
Spondylolisthesis

There are genetic conditions that can cause back pain. One of these is scoliosis, in which your spine grows with an outward S-shaped or C-shaped curve towards your sides rather than following a line down the center of your back.

Inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis can also cause back pain.

How is back pain diagnosed?

To diagnose the cause of your back pain, the team at Integrated Spine and Pain Services needs to know about your symptoms and when they began, and look at your medical history. They’ll also carry out a physical exam.

If they need to confirm or rule out a possible diagnosis, you might need to undergo diagnostic imaging tests like X-rays or a CT or MRI scan. In some cases, it can be hard to pinpoint the precise cause of back pain.

If this happens in your case, your provider at Integrated Spine and Pain Services can use diagnostic injections to locate the source of your back pain. Diagnostic injections use contrast dye and local anesthetic that help determine which of the structures in your spine is causing your pain.

What treatments are there for back pain?

As well as valuable conservative treatments like physical therapy, the team also offers noninvasive options, such as anti-inflammatory medications and activity modification.

If these approaches aren’t yielding results for you, other advanced, minimally invasive options available at Integrated Spine and Pain Services include:

Transforaminal epidural steroid injections
Selective nerve root blocks
Medial branch blocks
Medial branch neurotomy (radiofrequency ablation)
Intra-articular sacroiliac joint and hip joint injections
Kyphoplasty
Spinal cord stimulation trials

If back pain is affecting your quality of life, call Integrated Spine and Pain Services today, or book an appointment online.

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