Back Pain

The two most common causes of chronic low back pain are Facet joint injury or osteoarthritis Sacroiliac joint dysfunction or osteoarthritis. The facet joints are small joints in the spine which is where motion in the spine occurs. The discs are cushions in the front of the spine that do not move and are infrequent sources of pain. The facet joints are located on each side of the spine and occur in pairs at each level from C1-2 in the upper neck to L5S1 in the lower back. A...

The first step in relieving low back pain is determining the source of the pain. There are many structures in the back that can be the source of the pain. Determining where the pain is coming from requires a number of steps. The first step is taking a detailed history of the patient’s pain symptoms. Is the pain localized to a particular site in the back? Is it on one side or both sides? Is it there all of the time or is it intermittent? Are there particular positions or activities...

Do you have back pain? Does back pain interfere with your ability to work, play, travel or enjoy your retirement? Have you been told that there is nothing that can be done about it and that you need to learn to live with it? I am here to tell you what the common causes of back pain are and what you can do to improve or eliminate it so that you can return to a better quality of life.

The sacroiliac (SI) joints are the source pain in approximately 10 – 20 percent of people with chronic low back pain. The spine sits on top of the sacrum, which is part of the pelvis. The sacroiliac joints are located in the pelvis between the sacrum and the iliac bones. There are two sacroiliac joints, one on each side. People often experience pain in the lower back, posterior hip and sometimes pain radiating down their leg, usually to the calf. They often have tenderness in the back...

Low back pain is a common condition that can occur at any age but becomes more common with advancing age. Identifying the source of back pain is often difficult but possible. If the source of the pain can be identified then treatment can be provided to relieve the pain and return the person to a more active and enjoyable quality of life.