Back Pain

Back Pain services offered in Stamford and Westport, CT

You expect back pain to be a problem for retired adults, yet 40% of people with persistent back pain are under 44. At New England Institute for Neurology and Headache in Stamford, Connecticut, the experienced team specializes in diagnosing the cause of your pain and providing comprehensive care that helps you return to an active lifestyle. Don’t wait to start on the road to recovery. Call the office or connect online to request an appointment. The team offers in-office, telemedicine, and at-home visits.

What causes back pain?

You can end up with back pain after pulling a muscle, suddenly increasing your activity level, or starting a new sport.

Many people gradually develop back pain over months of repeating the same movements, or they can suffer a sudden traumatic back injury during a fall or car accident.

As you get older, back pain develops as the structures in your spine begin to degenerate. Then you develop chronic pain due to problems like:

Herniated discs
Facet joint arthritis
Degenerative disc disease
Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
Bone spurs
Vertebral compression fractures
Slipped vertebrae (spondylolisthesis)

These conditions often pinch the spinal nerves, adding even more pain.

What symptoms accompany back pain?

Everyone who has suffered back pain has a different experience with it. Your pain could be constant or come and go, depending on your activities. Some people suffer from sharp, severe pain, while others describe it as dull and aching.

Pinched nerves typically cause pain and tingling along the entire nerve length. That means a compressed nerve in your lower back leads to symptoms in your legs. For example, sciatica occurs when a pinched sciatic nerve in your lower back sends sudden, excruciating pain down one leg.

If the nerve is severely damaged, you could lose sensation, causing numbness in your leg. Nerve damage in your lower back can also cause muscle weakness, affecting your ability to walk.

How is back pain treated?

Your provider learns about your medical history and completes a thorough medical and neurological evaluation. They might order bloodwork and diagnostic imaging or conduct tests to evaluate muscle and nerve activity.

Back pain treatment begins with the most appropriate conservative therapy, which means medication, activity changes, steroid injections, and physical therapy.

If you still have pain after conservative treatments, your provider creates a plan using one or more specialized treatments, including:

Epidural steroid injections
Trigger point injections
Ketamine infusions
Behavioral interventions
Therapeutic massage
Acupuncture
Nerve root blocks
Medial branch blocks
Minimally invasive spine surgery
Sacroiliac joint injections

The sacroiliac (SI) joints connect your sacrum (a triangular-shaped bone at the base of your spine) to your hip bones. The SI joints don’t promote movement. Instead, they provide stability and absorb shock. SI joint damage or inflammation is a top cause of lower back pain.

Call New England Institute for Neurology and Headache today or use online booking to request a consultation to learn how to relieve back pain.