Back Pain Guide
Back Pain Guide For Houston
At Texas Intergrative Pain Institute, we treat all areas of the body, but we specialize in upper, middle, and low back pain at our Houston location; over 80% of the clients Dr. Warfield sees come to us with back pain seeking alternative therapy to surgery. We invite you to explore our guide filled with educational materials designed to help educate you about back pain, your conditions, and the treatments we offer.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your condition or treatment, please feel free to contact our pain management clinic in Houston that’s conveniently located to serve patients in Baytown, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Cypress, and Spring. Call us at (346) 888-5237 to request an appointment or use our secure online request form.
Please note that this information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or as a substitute for medical advice from a doctor. This information should not be relied upon to determine a diagnosis or course of treatment.
Back Pains Our Houston Clinic Treats
Arachnoiditis
The arachnoid is one of the membranes that surround and protect the nerves of the spinal cord. When this membrane becomes irritated and inflamed, the condition is called arachnoiditis.
Bulging Disc
Between 60% and 80% of American adults will suffer some form of back pain. For many of them, the cause will be a bulging disc in the spine. Most cases of a bulging disc occur in the lower back and are caused by overwork or straining the lumbar spine.
Cervical Radiculopathy
Cervical radiculopathy, otherwise known as a pinched nerve, can result in numbness, pain, weakness or altered reflexes and may radiate symptoms from the neck to the shoulders, arm, hand and/or fingers.
Chronic Back Pain
Our back provides vital framework for the entire body, and it withstands an incredible amount of wear and abuse. Over time, everyone will suffer back pain. However, chronic back pain lasting ten days out of every month, maybe due to a degenerative condition.
Degenerative Disc Disease
This is not really a disease at all, but a natural result of aging and wear and tear over time on the elements of the spine. The discs of your spine wear and break down with repeated use, allowing the vertebrae to squeeze closer together, pinch nerves and cause a myriad of problems
Facet Syndrome
Facet joint syndrome, can be caused by trauma, adverse posture overload or other degenerative changes to the joints of the spine. The cartilage inside the spinal joints can break down and become inflamed, causing pain in nearby nerves that radiates in other locations of the body.
Herniated Disc
One of the most common causes of back pain for adults is a herniated disc. Repeated bending or torsion of the spine can cause the cushioned discs between the vertebrae to bulge out from between the individual vertebrae. This is called a herniation or a herniated disc.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition caused when pressure from a bone spur, spinal stenosis, herniated disc or other spinal condition causes radiating pain along the sciatic nerve in the back. The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down each of the legs. Sciatica is often felt on only one side of the body.
Spinal Arthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition where the cushioning cartilage between bones deteriorates and wears away prematurely. Spinal osteoarthritis is when this condition affects the joints and discs of the spine, usually in the neck and lower back
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis most commonly occurs along with the deterioration of spinal osteoarthritis, as this degenerative disease breaks down spinal joint cartilage. The vertebrae become compressed, and this narrows the space within the spine where nerves travel. The two main types of spinal stenosis, classified according to location, are cervical stenosis and lumbar stenosis
Sprains & Strains
Back sprains or strains result in pain that is worse with movement, muscle cramps or spasms, decreased function and/or range of motion and swelling. Some victims may hear a popping noise at the time of injury, most common when a muscle, tendon or ligament tears completely loose from the bone.
Thoracic Radiculopathy
This condition can often be the result of tumors, bone spurs, herniated discs or spinal osteoarthritis. Pain can be sharp at times, especially with activity. Sufferers can also experience weakness or loss of reflexes in the arms or legs. Thoracic radiculopathy can also often be found with myelopathy, which is a compression of the spine.
Understanding The Anatomy of the Back
- The lamina is the lining of the hole through which the spinal cord runs.
- The spinous process is the bony protrusions you feel when you run your hand down your back.
- The transverse processes are the pairs of protrusions on either side of the vertebrae to which the back muscles attach.
- The facets are two pairs of protrusions where the vertebrae connect to one another, including:
- The superior articular facets face upward, and the inferior articular facets, which face downward.
- The cervical spinal cord sends nerves to the face and neck. The thoracic spinal cord sends nerves to the arms, chest, and abdomen.
- The lumbar-sacral spinal cord sends nerves to the lower body.
- A bunch of nerves — called cauda equina because they resemble a horse’s tail — is at the bottom of the spinal cord. Any damage to your spinal cord can affect your movement or function.
Back Pain Houston
People can experience back pain due to other factors and may find it best to seek out a pain management clinic in Houston that treats chronic back pain when mechanical or structural problems develop in the spine, discs, muscles, ligaments, or tendons in the back, or compress a nerve.
Degenerative disc disease
- Herniated or ruptured discs
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spinal stenosis
- Fractured vertebrae.
- Scoliosis or other congenital changes to the spine.
- Myofascial pain
