What does it mean when someone has chronic back pain? Chronic back pain is any type of back pain that does not resolve or is recurring. In most cases the cause of chronic back pain cannot be determined, which means that treatment revolves around the management of symptoms instead of the cure.
Because the causes of chronic back pain can be extremely complex, finding an effective way to manage the pain can require the trial and error of many different treatments. Following are some of the most common treatments for chronic back pain. These treatments may be used alone or in combination.
Injection: There are several different types of anesthetic and steroid injections that are used for chronic back pain treatment depending upon the specific disorder. Facet joint injections and medial branch blocks are used to alleviate neck, thoracic, and lumbar pain, while epidural injections and nerve root blocks are frequently used to reduce back pain that radiates to the arms and legs. Sacroiliac joint injections are sometimes used to ease pain and inflammation in the area where the pelvis meets the spine.
Pulsed Radiofrequency Neurotomy (PRFN): During this very save and effective procedure, an electrical current is delivered via needle and electrode to the nerve in the spine that is causing pain. The nerve is temporarily unable to transmit pain signals. The effect of the procedure, which can be repeated, lasts approximately three to six months.
Rhizotomy: During this procedure, a needle with a heated electrode is passed through a catheter and applied to affected nerves. The heated electrode damages the nerve fibers and creates a lesion. Sometimes several lesions are necessary to eliminate pain.
Spinal Cord Stimulation: In this procedure, electrical impulses are used to prevent pain impulses from reaching the brain. A small, electrically powered wire is implanted under the skin. Signals are sent via a remote control to affected nerves. Instead of pain, people using this method frequently report a tingling sensation.
Intrathecal Pump: This comprises a pump and a catheter that delivers medication directly to the spinal fluid. An intrathecal pump is sometimes used when a patient can't tolerate the amount of oral medications needed to control pain.
Surgery: After conservative efforts have been exhausted, surgery may be considered. The type of surgery performed will vary depending upon the disorder. Some surgeries are invasive, require general anesthesia, and involve a long post-operative period and recuperation. However, more and more disorders, from those involving the discs to those involving the facets, from those that involving degeneration to those involving nerve compression, are responding to arthroscopic, endoscopic, and microscopic surgeries. These types of surgeries use fiber-optic cameras, lasers, and other tiny tools to operate on the spine. These methods require only local anesthesia, and because there are no large incisions or extensive cutting of soft tissue, go hand-in-hand with much quicker recovery times than traditional surgeries.
