NECK AND BACK PAIN CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS
Let's talk Neck & Back
Dr. Tessier has your back – and your neck. Speaking of which, this neck and back combination boasts 33 vertebrae, 23 spinal discs, a host of muscles, groups of tendons, and lines of ligaments. That’s quite a lot of moving parts up and down the spine, which on top of allowing for a wide range of motion for the human body, it’s the main thoroughfare for the central nervous system. Injuries here can and will reverberate across the entire body.
Due to the fact that the back is such a large portion of the body, and the neck is that which the head swivels upon, this entire area is prone to injury from many fronts. Anything from sporting activity injuries, car accidents, work incidents, and pre-existing medical conditions can give rise to a painful condition that needs more than a bag of ice to alleviate discomfort.
ABOUT NECK & BACK PAIN
Since the neck and back comprise the spine, this means lots of potential pieces of the puzzle to suffer injury. There are several possible problems that can occur in this section of the body and ignoring or trying to “soldier through” these conditions is not recommended. If moving, standing up, sitting down, turning your head or any abnormal discomfort is felt, one of more of the following conditions may be present:
NECK & BACK PAIN CONDITIONS
- Sprain. When the muscle or tissues connecting the bones and joints are overstretched or torn.
- Fracture. A partial or complete break in the bone.
- Lumbar disc herniation. Where the soft, rubbery center of a spinal disc is forced through a crack in the tougher exterior casing.
- Degenerative disc disease. A painful loss of the cushioning between the discs between vertebrae due to deterioration and aging.
- Isthmic spondylolisthesis. A fracture of the isthmus makes one vertebrate slip forward on top of another vertebrate.
- Facet joint osteoarthritis. Where the joints between two vertebrae breakdown due to age deterioration.
- Foraminal stenosis. Where the cervical disc space becomes narrow due to an enlargement of a joint in the spinal canal.
- Cervical osteoarthritis. Where the joints in the neck become weak and breakdown due to age deterioration.
- Cervical degenerative disc disease. Where the constant movement of the neck breaks down the discs and cartilage over time due to overuse and/or age.
NECK & BACK PAIN TREATMENT OPTIONS
Treating your neck and back pain depends on factors such as level of pain, therapies tried and proven unsuccessful, and severity of the injury. While each patient is treated as a unique case, there are some often used treatments other than RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevate) that can help manage pain and heal the body. Some of those include:
- Physical Therapy. Certain muscle strengthening and loosening exercises may be necessary to alleviate neck and back pain.
- Steroid Injections. Corticosteroids and a local anesthetic are injected into the tissue to reduce inflammation and reduce pain.
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP Therapy). An advanced procedure where the blood is drawn from the patient to acquire healthy platelets from one area that are then injected into the injured area to achieve lasting pain relief due to certain important healing growth factors the platelets contain.
- Discectomy and fusion. The removal of a herniated or degenerative disc in the spine.
- Artificial disc replacement. The removal and replacement of a diseased or damaged disc in the spine.
Getting the patient back in the game and healthy typically starts with the least invasive procedure available and, if necessary, will escalate from there. Dr. Tessier only uses surgery as a last resort, or if the condition is beyond the scope of milder treatments.