Back Pain

Around 65 million Americans say they’ve experienced back pain recently. Relentless back pain can diminish your quality of life — but North Point Orthopaedics is here to help you get your health and life back. At offices in Munster, Crown Point, and Valparaiso, Indiana, the spine specialists offer diagnosis and advanced minimally invasive treatments to Northwest Indiana patients. Call the office nearest to you or use the online scheduling link now. 

What causes back pain?

Back pain can happen with injuries, wear-and-tear, and disease. Some of the most common specific causes of back pain are:

Herniated disc

Your spinal bones (vertebrae) have rubbery discs between them. A herniated disc develops when the nucleus (middle) of a disc protrudes through a crack in the disc. This disc material enters your spinal canal and irritates the nerves there, causing back pain. 

Pinched nerves

Pinched nerves occur when something in your spine, like a vertebra, spinal disc, or tumor, puts excessive pressure on one of your spinal nerves. They’re very common in the lower back and often cause back pain. Many people with pinched nerves experience sciatica — back pain that shoots down one leg. 

Spinal stenosis

Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal, a common issue with wear-and-tear from aging. As the spinal canal narrows, it pressures spinal nerves, which can, in turn, cause back pain. 

There are also many other causes of back pain, including osteoarthritis, osteoporotic fractures (bone fractures due to osteoporosis), and muscle strains. 

When should I seek help for back pain?

If you have back pain that lasts for more than a week, and you can’t manage the pain with over-the-counter medication, rest, and activity modifications, it’s time to call North Point Orthopaedics. 

When you’re spending too much time in bed and too little time living your life because of back pain, medical treatment can help you return to the things you want to do.

How is back pain treated?

Proper treatment of back pain relies on an accurate diagnosis, so that’s the first priority in finding the right treatment plan. Your North Point Orthopaedics provider carefully evaluates your back and discusses all of your symptoms in detail to fully understand what you’re going through. 

If the most conservative options like physical therapy, lifestyle changes, and medication don’t relieve your pain, steroid injections may do so by alleviating inflammation. Effects can last for a few months, but you can only have at most four injections a year because of an increased risk of osteoporosis. 

As a longer-lasting alternative, your provider may recommend precision medicine injections, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or stem cell injections. These treatments can prompt your body to repair itself from within. 

North Point Orthopaedics also offers a broad spectrum of minimally invasive surgical procedures, including: 

• Artificial disc replacement
• Discectomy: Removal of the herniated portion of a disc
• Laminectomy (decompression): Procedure to make more room in your spinal canal
• Spinal fusion: Connection of two vertebrae to relieve issues like disc herniation
• Spinal realignment: Fusion surgery to correct spinal alignment due to scoliosis

The expert surgeons also perform spinal revision surgery for patients who are experiencing complications following back surgery. 

To learn more about back pain solutions, call North Point Orthopaedics or click on the online scheduler now.