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For many people, some of the commonly used back pain treatments can ease the pain, such as OTC pain medication, NSAIDS, and massage. When the pain persists, some individuals with back pain turn to other solutions such as narcotics, steroids and even anti-depressants. However, these come with their own set of side effects.
Issues with Commonly Prescribed Solutions
Oftentimes, back pain becomes chronic, lasting more than 3-6 months, with the pain returning again and again. Wondering why these treatments don’t make the pain go away for good? The pain stays because the underlying causative factor has not been fixed or resolved. Pain medications, NSAIDS, steroids, and anti-depressants are like a band-aid. They don’t resolve the issue they just are a temporary patch to make the body feel better for a set amount of time. Eventually, the effect wears off quicker and tolerance develops, while never addressing the underlying problem. These ‘band-aids’ do not fix the ligamentous source of the musculoskeletal pain.
Injured ligaments, not disc issues often cause consistent pain many people experience. When the ligaments remain unrepaired, the back pain sufferer is left with ongoing pain and will continue to experience difficulties in function and quality of life.
Chiropractors, physical therapists can provide relief for back pain, with care that is excellent in many cases. There are times, however, when back pain becomes more and more frequent and the adjustments do not hold no matter how often adjusted. In these instances, the patient experiences pain again only a few days after getting treatment. Ligament and/or tendon injuries are very likely at the root of this back pain problem. Imaging tools, like X-rays and MRI’s, can be helpful in certain situations. And although highly accessible, their usage has not caused the rates of back pain to go down.
Causes of Back Pain
Back pain is most often the result of an injury, possibly due to sudden movements and poor body mechanics over time or from trauma during a sports activity, fall or motor vehicle accident. Acute injuries, such as minor muscle strains, frequently heal quickly due to the great blood supply and healing capacity of the muscles. However, many back pain sufferers deal with chronic pain, or pain that lasts more than three to six months, and all too often the underlying cause is not identified. The common denominator for many painful musculoskeletal conditions causing back pain is spinal instability due to injury to the ligaments. This often goes mis- or undiagnosed. Regenerative Orthopedics is a non-surgical treatment that can provide the solution to heal those injured ligaments and get rid of back pain for good.
What Happens In Disc Degeneration and Herniated Discs:
A herniated disc actually herniates through ligaments. Injured ligaments around the spine result in disc degeneration. That’s why treatment needs to be directed at healing these injured ligaments. By healing the ligaments stability can occur in the spine. Interestingly, when scientists want to induce a disc herniation or degeneration in an animal, they injure the ligaments and within a short period of time the discs will become degenerated or herniated. Ligaments are supportive structures joining bone to bone. In the back or spine, they connect adjacent vertebrae. The ligaments of the back serve as one of the primary stabilizing structures of the spinal column. They help to provide adequate motion and also restrict excessive motion, which protects the spinal column and nerve roots as they exit the spine.
Instability is part of the pathophysiology of the degenerated and herniated disc. When the ligaments around the spine are injured, excessive joint mobility occurs and the bones (vertebrae) move too much, creating vertebral instability which will cause back pain. The excessive motion causes abnormal forces and pressure on the discs between the vertebrae, which produces the degeneration of the discs. Disc degeneration eventually leads to arthritis. When the ligaments become stretched out or injured, the muscles tighten and generate pain. You feel this in the form of muscle spasms. If the ligaments and/or muscles are unable to stabilize the vertebrae, the body overgrows bone. This overgrowth of bone produces the loss of motion noted in arthritis, as the body tries to stabilize the spine.
Does Fusion Surgery Help the Instability?
Fusion surgery can prevent motion of these segments that are moving excessively. However, the fusion does not resolve the underlying ligament injury. Back pain may continue even after surgery, due to injury in other vertebral regions, the segments above or below the fusions or the unaddressed ligament injury. Regenerative Orthopedic treatments to the area above and below the disc degeneration strengthen the ligaments, resolve the subluxation and instability, and relieve the back pain. The therapy stabilizes the joint by treating the underlying cause of the disc degeneration and relieving back pain.
Try Regeneration, Not Surgery
Regenerative Orthopedic physicians utilize regenerative injection therapies to stimulate the body to repair the ligaments. Our bodies have amazing regenerative capabilities. The regenerative medicine approach triggers the body to strengthen the tissue on its own. Regenerative Orthopedics, such as Prolotherapy, Platelet Rich Plasma and Stem Cell Therapy, stimulate the body to heal itself. In the case of back pain, regenerative techniques specifically stimulate the repair of the ligaments through which the disc herniates and the ligaments connecting the vertebrae.
It’s really an amazing transformation to see people regain their mobility and independence! For those with back pain, we strongly recommend looking into regenerative medicine. Commonly treated conditions including herniated discs, bulging discs, and degenerative disc disease. Why continue to suffer when you can eliminate back pain with regenerative medicine. Come to our informational seminar on March 19 to learn more and see our Regenerative medicine can help you!