Back Pain

Chronic back pain interferes with work, stops you from pursuing leisure activities, and prevents you from sleeping. If you need help with back pain, visit Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD, in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Jones and her team offer proven back pain treatments and innovative, noninvasive therapies that reduce chronic pain, improve mobility, and help you sleep. Call the office for expert back pain diagnosis and treatment, or schedule a consultation online today.

Why do I have back pain?

Sudden back pain is likely due to an acute injury from a fall, auto accident, excessive or unusual physical activity, or poor lifting techniques. These injuries can damage the nerves, spinal discs, connective tissues, and back muscles. In severe cases, you may crack or misalign the vertebrae or damage the delicate spinal cord inside your spine.

Chronic back pain develops over time. It might result from a poorly healed acute injury or repetitive strain, where you repeatedly make the same movements, irritating and inflaming the tissues. Some people have spinal abnormalities like scoliosis, where the spine has a left and/or right curvature.

One of the most widespread causes of back pain is age-related deterioration, which is often responsible for:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Bulging and herniated discs
• Lumbar radiculopathy (sciatica)
• Osteoarthritis
• Bone spurs
• Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures
• Spinal stenosis (narrowed spinal canal)

As you age, the discs flatten and harden, altering spinal alignment. They also weaken, making them more likely to tear and protrude into the spinal canal (herniation). Osteoarthritis develops when protective cartilage wears away from the vertebrae’s facet joints, and bone spurs grow to reinforce the weakened spine.

All these problems cause narrowing (stenosis), leading to spinal canal nerve compression (radiculopathy). The result is long-term conditions like sciatica (pressure on the sciatic nerve in your lower back).

How does my health care provider determine back pain’s cause?

The Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD team begins the diagnostic process by discussing your symptoms and a medical history review. They perform a physical exam, looking for abnormalities and signs of injury, and assess your range of motion.

Your provider might order diagnostic imaging procedures, such as X-rays, a CT scan, or MRI, to confirm a diagnosis and see the damaged tissues in more detail.

What treatments can ease my back pain?

Conservative treatments like physical therapy, ice, heat, activity modification, and medication are usually the first methods used for back pain. Advanced treatments Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD offers include:

• Epidural steroid injections
• Nerve block injections
• Trigger point injections
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections
• Electro-Equiscope® electrical therapy
• Spinal cord stimulator implantation
• Intrathecal pain pump implantation

Every patient has a personalized treatment plan tailored to their unique needs.

Call Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD, for expert back pain relief, or book an appointment online today.