Is the pain in your lower back keeping you awake? Lower back pain is an extremely common condition. In fact, approximately 80% of Americans will suffer from back problems at some point in their lifetimes. While lower back pain can affect people of all ages, there are certain risk factors that increase your likelihood of developing the condition. If you do not take steps to address your back pain, it could easily progress to chronic pain. Low Back Pain Risk Factors Risk factors for back pain ... [Read More]
Back Pain
Causes of a Herniated Disc
A herniated disc occurs when there is a problem with one of the cushions (discs) between the individual bones (vertebrae) of the spine. The discs are shaped like donuts, with soft interiors and harder exteriors. A herniation (or rupture) occurs when the disc’s more fragile center pushes out through a tear or break in its exterior. Herniated discs usually occur in the lower back or the neck. The symptoms you experience may vary or, sometimes, you may have no symptoms at all. It is possible for ... [Read More]
Peripheral Nerve Pain
Whereas the central nervous system comprises the brain and the spinal cord, the peripheral nervous system includes the nerves throughout the rest of the body. Peripheral nerve pain is, therefore, a result of damage to the nerves in the hands, feet, and elsewhere. Peripheral neuropathy often causes weakness, numbness, and pain in the hands and feet, but it also can manifest in other areas of the body as well. The peripheral nervous system sends messages to the central nervous system, but ... [Read More]
Spinal Stenosis
For many, chronic pain in the neck or lower back can cause pain, tingling numbness and muscle weakness that can worsen over time. But there is one condition that can cause the same symptoms as time progresses, even when asymptomatic in the early stages. That said, you may have spinal stenosis without realizing it. Likewise, your spinal stenosis may be causing you a great deal of pain. While many suffer from spinal stenosis, they might have just attributed their pain to having a bad back or ... [Read More]
Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) for Chronic Pain
Are you tired of undergoing treatments – such as medication, physical therapy, or injections – that are having minimal, if any, success in relieving your chronic back, leg, foot, or knee pain? One viable alternative is spinal cord stimulation (SCS), a therapy that suppresses pain signals before they reach your brain, thereby providing relief. How SCS Works Prior to SCS implantation, patients usually complete a week-long trial period in which a trial stimulator is used to determine whether pain ... [Read More]
