LOW BACK

LOW BACK | CONDITIONS

Compression Fractures

This is a collapse of vertebral bone and can affect one or more vertebrae. Compression fractures typically develop in your mid or lower back, due to osteoporosis or traumatic injury. Compression fractures can change the shape of your spine and cause a variety of symptoms.

Degenerative Disc Disease

This condition is a weakening of one or more vertebral discs, which normally act as a cushion between the vertebrae. Degenerative Disc Disease can develop as a natural part of the aging process, but it may also result from injury to the back. This condition may cause pain, weakness or tingling in the legs.

Facet Joint Syndrome

This condition involves the deterioration of the facet joints, which help stabilize the spine and limit excessive motion. Facet Joint Syndrome occurs when the joints become stressed and damaged, which can happen for a variety of reasons, such as everyday wear on the body, injury to the back or neck, or due to the degeneration of an intervertebral disc. Depending on the location of the affected facet joints, pain may be felt in the neck, shoulders and upper/middle back and may also cause headaches. If the affected joints are in the low back, you may experience pain in the buttocks, back of the thighs and low back.

Lumbar Radiculopathy (Sciatica)

This low back condition is an irritation or compression of one or more nerve roots in the lumbar spine. Because these nerves travel to the hips, buttocks, legs and feet, an injury in the lumbar spine can cause symptoms in these areas. Sciatica may result from a variety of problems with the bones and tissues of the lumbar spinal column. This condition is often the result of a herniated / bulging disc, degenerative disc disease. Pain can be felt in many ways, depending on the location of the affected nerve root.

Spinal Stenosis

The spinal column contains open spaces that create passageways for the spinal cord and the spinal nerves. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of (or an intrusion into) these openings. This can cause a compression of the nerves. Spinal stenosis most commonly affects the upper and lower regions of the spine. Symptoms can vary depending on the location and severity of the problem.

LOW BACK | TREATMENTS

Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression (mild®)

This image-guided procedure treats lumbar spinal stenosis by relieving pressure on the spinal nerves with minimal trauma to the surrounding tissues. During this minimally invasive lumbar decompression (mild®) procedure, part of the laminar bone at the site of stenosis is removed (laminotomy) and the ligamentum flavum that supports the laminar bone is partly eliminated, along with fatty tissue. The procedure is intended to reduce or eliminate pain, weakness, stiffness, cramping or numbness in the leg, buttock and groin region. Talk with your doctor to learn more.

Caudal Epidural Steroid Injection

This minimally invasive outpatient procedure involves an injection of a steroid-anesthetic medication through an opening in the sacrum. The medication can reduce swelling and inflammation of irritated spinal nerves. The injection takes only a few minutes to complete.

Epidural Steroid Injection

This minimally invasive outpatient procedure is performed to relieve low back pain and radiating leg pain. Steroid medication can reduce the swelling and inflammation caused by spinal conditions. Many patients get significant relief from one to two injections.

Facet Joint Injections

The facet joints, found on both sides of the back of the spine, can become painfully irritated or inflamed. A minimally invasive, facet-joint injection may help diagnose the source of a patient’s pain and can also relieve pain and inflammation.

Intracept

This innovative treatment targets the basivertebral nerve in the lower part of your spine, which transmits pain signals when degenerative changes occur in the vertebral endplates. The Intracept procedure blocks the transmission of pain signals, relieving chronic lower back pain while preserving the structure of the spine. You may be a candidate for Intracept® treatment if you’ve had lower back pain for six months or more that has not responded to conservative therapy. Talk with your doctor to learn more.

Kyphoplasty

Also called Balloon Vertebroplasty, Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that repairs a vertebral compression fracture and helps restore the spine’s natural shape. Some patients experience rapid pain relief following the procedure.

Lumbar Sympathetic Block

This image-guided injection numbs branches of nerves in your lower back. It helps doctors find and treat a number of problems linked to these nerves, such as reducing inflammation and low back pain.

RACZ Caudal Neurolysis

This minimally invasive, outpatient procedure may relieve low back and leg pain most often caused by scarring from a prior back surgery. An injection of steroid-anesthetic bathes the pain area and dissolves scar tissue. This procedure may be performed more than once to further reduce scar tissue.

Radiofrequency Neurotomy of the Lumbar Facets

During this minimally invasive procedure, the physician uses heat from radio waves to treat painful facet joints in your lower back. Also called radiofrequency rhizotomy, the procedure can treat pain that doesn’t respond to medications or to physical therapy.

Regenerative Medicine

If you suffer from joint, tendon, ligament, back, neck or pelvic pain, you may be a candidate for regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is an exciting scientific and medical discipline that focuses on tapping into the capacity of the body to restore the functioning of damaged cells, tissues and organs. Learn more about the various types of regenerative medicine here and talk with your doctor to see if it may benefit you.

Superion

This FDA-approved, minimally invasive procedure treats lumbar spinal stenosis without compromising the stability of the spine. A product of VertiFlex, Inc., the Superion® device is implanted in the spine and limits spine extension, producing the relief that you would get in a seated or flexed position. The device is inserted through a dime-sized incision over the spine and placed at the appropriate spinal level. Both the procedure and the recovery time are quick. You may be a candidate for this procedure if you’ve found no relief from conservative treatments but do not wish to undergo an invasive surgical procedure, such as a laminectomy. Talk with your doctor to learn more.

Sympathetic Block

This minimally invasive outpatient procedure is an injection that numbs branches of nerves in your lower back. It helps doctors find and treat a number of problems linked to these nerves. Usually, a series of injections is needed to treat a problem.

Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection

This procedure involves the injection of a steroid-anesthetic medication that can reduce swelling and inflammation of irritated spinal nerves. This minimally invasive outpatient procedure is performed to relieve pain that radiates from the low back to the legs. The injection takes only a few minutes to complete. Some patients may only need one injection; other patients may require a series of injections to benefit.

Low back pain can cause problems that ripple through every part of your life. If you’ve stopped doing many of the things you enjoy because it hurts too much, call Pacific Sports & Spine (541) 780-6654 today.