Nature of Spinal
Pain
The majority of the patients we see have chronic spinal
pain. The spine is a complicated structure. Its primary
components are the bones, joints between the bones, discs,
and nerves. In addition to these primary components, there
are a variety of structures that support the spine, including
the muscles. Injury or irritation of any of the primary
components of the spine has the potential to cause chronic
spinal pain. Once a painful condition occurs, muscles go
into spasm to defend the spine from further injury. Although
this muscle spasm is also painful, in most patients with
chronic pain the muscles are not the primary cause of pain.
In some patients the situation is complicated by stress
and depression, which frequently accompany pain, and can
even make pain worse. Chronic spinal pain is not a life-threatening
condition. However, it can disable patients from work and
other activities and prevents many people from fully enjoying
their lives.
Diagnosis of spinal pain
The key tools that doctors use to diagnose the cause of
spinal pain are patient history, physical examination, and
x-ray studies, including MRI scans. Often the source of
pain can be diagnosed using these tools, particularly in
patients who have primarily nerve root pain (pain or weakness
along the course of a nerve). However, in many patients,
particularly those with primarily back or neck pain, it
is difficult to localize the exact source of pain. MRI scans
are frequently not helpful in these patients. They may show
only the normal age-related changes that occur in most people,
whether they have pain or not. The nerve supply to the spine
is diffuse and overlapping, so a particular pain could have
one of several possible causes. Diagnosing the exact source
of pain may be difficult, but if your doctor knows the source
of your pain, he or she may be able to treat you more effectively.
This is particularly true if surgery is being considered.
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Treatment of spinal pain
In general, there are four treatment options for patients with chronic spinal pain. Physical therapy can be effective for many people, particularly physical therapy that emphasizes activity and return to function. For patients who have pain in spite of physical therapy, surgery can sometimes be effective. The success of surgery is highly dependent on an accurate diagnosis as to the source of pain. Another option for patients is to simply live with their pain as best as they can, sometimes with the assistance of pain medications or other methods such as acupuncture.
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Risks and side effects
When done properly, spinal injection procedures are very safe. All of our procedures are done under x-ray guidance, both for safety reasons and to provide the greatest likelihood of success. However, with any medical procedure or treatment come possible risks. Any time a needle is placed into the body, there is a risk of bleeding. Usually, any bleeding that occurs after an injection is very minor. However, in rare circumstances bleeding can lead to serious complications. To minimize this risk, we have instructed you to stop taking anti-inflammatories for 3 days prior to your procedure, aspirin for seven days prior, and to notify us if you take blood-thinning medications. Another complication that can occur with needle procedures is infection. The chance of getting a significant infection after any needle procedure is very low. However, with certain procedures involving disc injections, including discograms and intradiscal electrothermoplasty, a minor infection could lead to a serious complication. For that reason, if you are having a disc injection, antibiotics will be administered to you both intravenously and directly into the disc at the time of the procedure.
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Spinal Diagnostics and Treatment Center is a freestanding
ambulatory surgery center. Our facility is technologically
state of the art, designed to provide the most modern and
up to date diagnoses and treatment for patients with spine
disorders.