One of the most common reasons people come to see us is because they’re experiencing back pain. Some have been experiencing low back pain, sciatica, mid-back pain, upper back pain, or all the above for years before they reach out for help. It’s important to understand that while back pain is common, it is not normal.

We’ve surveyed thousands of patients, and here are the most asked questions when it comes to any type of back pain:

How do I know if back pain is serious?

There are many things that can cause back pain, some of them can be serious. The best way to tell if your back pain is serious is to schedule an appointment with one of our doctors. Our back pain doctors are some of the best in Arizona and can help you understand what is causing your back pain and what your treatment options are.

Main causes of back pain: muscle sprain/strain, bulging disc, herniated disc, facet pain, arthritis, degenerative disc disease, among others.

Other causes of back pain: kidney stones, gas and bowel pain can both manifest as back pain, visceral pain, cancer, etc.. There are many non- structural causes of back pain, the best way to differentiate what is causing your pain is to speak with a healthcare professional.

What is the most common reason for back pain?

The most common reasons for back pain are: muscle sprain/strain, bulging disc, herniated disc, facet pain, arthritis, degenerative disc disease, among others.

What is the fastest way to relieve back pain?

There are many ways to relieve back pain, however, the cause of the pain can differentiate the best treatment for your specific back pain. Modalities that can bring about fast relief include: epidurals, low dose steroids, chiropractic, stretching, physical therapy, and other therapeutic injections.

What are the types of back pain?

There can be a lot of different types of back pain that include: discogenic back pain, facetogenic back pain, muscular sprain strain, and more. Each different type of back pain can have different treatments that work best.

How do I know if my back pain is kidney related?

The best way to know if your back pain is kidney related is to see a back pain specialist. They can quickly differentiate between structural and visceral causes of back pain and can help make sure you are on the right path to getting relief from your back pain.

How can you tell if back pain is muscular or something else?

There are many causes of back pain, the best way to know what is causing your back pain is to see a back pain specialist. That being said some of the ways you can differentiate between muscular pain vs other causes is to ask the following questions:

  • Do you get positional relief? Meaning you get relief from switching positions.
  • Does the pain increase when you activate certain muscle groups?
  • Were you in an accident or did you have some type of fall or injury?
  • Does the back pain feel superficial or deep?

Asking the right questions helps us to determine what the underlying cause of the pain is. That paired with x-ray, orthopedic tests, and other parts of our medical exam allow us to identify the root cause of your pain and give you options to get back to living life pain free.

How do I cure low back pain?

There are many ways to help low back pain. There is not a one size fits all. One of the most important things in helping to cure your back pain is to know what is causing your back pain. This starts with an exam with one of our back pain specialists to determine what is the underlying cause. From there we can give you a plan to help get you back to living your life pain free. Some of our treatment options might include one or more of the following:

how do I relieve my Severe Low Back Pain?

Severe low back pain is always something you should take seriously. If you are experiencing any type of muscle weakness or numbness this is considered a urgent matter and you should take action immediately to get this resolved. If it not treated quickly it may result in permanent nerve or tissue damage. Come see our low back pain specialist to get your answers and to get rapid relief.

What are 3 causes of lower back pain?

The 3 main categories of tissue that cause lower back pain are:

  1. Muscular
  2. Bone, ligament, tendon disc
  3. Visceral or organ pain

What is the most common cause of lower back pain?

The most common cause of low back pain is usually recognized as a sprain/strain. However there are a lot of causes of low back pain and all of them can affect your activities of daily living. If you are having low back pain the best thing you can do is come in and see our low back pain specialist so that you can get out of pain and back to living pain free.

What aggravates lower back pain?

Many things can aggravate low back pain. The more common, less effective, solution is that if you do an activity that makes it hurt while it is actively inflamed, do not do that activity. We see many people give up activities because it causes them pain. But because they never fix the underlying cause, they never get back to doing the things that they love. If you feel like your back pain flares up whenever you are trying to do activities that you normally enjoy it means that you have not fixed the underlying cause of your low back pain. Come in and work with our team of back pain specialists to identify and fix the root cause to get you back to doing the activities that you love.