Back Pain

Back pain affects millions of people across the United States every year, and many never shake off their discomfort. If you suffer from continuing back pain, visit Mikhail Artamonov, MD, and his team at Amira Integrative Health PC in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. They specialize in treating back pain using cutting-edge noninvasive therapies and minimally invasive spinal procedures. Call Amira Integrative Health PC today or schedule a consultation online to learn how the team can ease your back pain.

What’s causing my back pain?

Various things cause back pain, including sports injuries, muscle strains from lifting, and damage from work or car accidents. Many back pain problems are chronic (long-term) conditions caused by age-related deterioration or spinal abnormalities.

Spinal stenosis (where the spinal canal narrows) is a common back pain cause. It can develop because of:

• Facet joint arthritis
• Bone spurs (bony growths)
• Thickened spinal ligaments
• Joint cysts
• Spondylolisthesis (slipped vertebrae)
• Degenerative disc disease
• Herniated discs

Discs are spongy pads sitting between the vertebrae. They stabilize your spine and cushion the bones. If the outer shell thins with age (degenerative disc disease), it can tear and allow the disc’s soft core to leak into the spinal canal (disc herniation).

Back pain often comes from nerve compression (radiculopathy) caused by these conditions. Nerves exit the spinal cord to travel around your body. If a bone spur, herniated disc, or other abnormality pinches the nerve’s roots, it can lead to back pain that will likely spread down one or both hips and legs.

Spinal abnormalities include scoliosis, where the spine curves left and/or right instead of following a straight vertical line.

How does my doctor determine back pain’s cause?

To diagnose back pain, the Amira Integrative Health PC team discusses your symptoms, reviews your medical history, and completes a physical exam. They might need to assess diagnostic images like X-rays, CT or ultrasound scans, or an MRI to identify the extent of damage.

If the pain’s cause isn’t clear, your doctor might perform a nerve block. This injection contains a local anesthetic. Your doctor injects the drug into your spine to pinpoint where your pain’s coming from. In some cases, you’ll need an electromyogram (EMG) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test to check nerve function.

What treatments might I need for back pain?

Amira Integrative Health PC offers conservative and advanced treatments tailored to your precise needs and preferences. Possible back pain treatments include:

• Acupuncture
• Biopuncture injections
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
• Ozone therapy
• Medical marijuana
• Spinal chemonucleolysis for herniated discs
• Epidural (spinal) steroid injections
• Facet joint injections
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections
• Epidurolysis for pain after back surgery
• Intraosseous therapy (stem cell stimulation)
• Radiofrequency ablation (destroying pain nerves with heat)
• Spinal cord stimulation (changing pain nerve signals with an implantable device)
• Microdiscectomy (minimally invasive removal of herniated disc material)

The precise treatment you need depends on the cause of your back pain.

Call Amira Integrative Health PC today or book an appointment online for superior back pain treatment.