Imaging Your Chronic Back Pain

 

Back pain can be debilitating, particularly if it occurs frequently and causes you to stop performing daily activities such as work, studying, or sitting down to rest. There are three main categories of back pain: lower back pain, middle back pain and upper back pain. Lower back pain, also called lower lumbar pain, refers to pain in the lower portion of your back, between your legs and feet. Middle back pain refers to pain below the neck and shoulders, while upper back pain refers to pain located along or between your shoulders and your neck.

Most people with back pain choose to undergo imaging procedures in order to determine the underlying cause. While there are many imaging techniques that are used, they are not able to provide conclusive information on exactly what causes your back pain. Back pain imaging is only effective in identifying specific causes of the pain, such as muscle strains, disc herniation, spinal stenosis or spinal degeneration. In some cases, MRI may be able to identify the causes of severe back pain, but this is usually the case when the pain is severe and cannot be explained by nonsurgical treatments and symptoms continue for more than six weeks.

X-ray, CT scan, MRI and PET imaging are used to identify which portion of your back or neck is affected and how. The most common imaging technique for back pain involves the use of magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. This procedure typically identifies swelling or fluid buildup, narrowing of the spinal canal and nerves, tumors, cysts, bone spurs, spinal stenosis, spinal degeneration and osteoporosis. MRI is typically used in combination with other diagnostic techniques in order to determine the exact cause of the symptoms.

Other common causes of back pain include drug use, herniated discs, spondyloysis, meniscal tears, sciatica, Osteoarthritis, tendonitis, rotator cuff injuries, ligament sprains, and soft tissue injuries. Drug use often results in post-operative symptoms and further complications that radiate back pain to the buttock area. If an imaging test shows evidence of a bulge in the spinal canal, chances are good that the injury is caused by a herniated disc. Osteoarthritis can lead to bone spurs, which can cause intense pain in the buttocks, legs and back; while torn muscles, ligaments and tendons are common causes for meniscal tears, which also affect the buttock region.

Spinal stenosis is an abnormal spinal curvature, which typically affects younger patients. In fact, it is one of the most common causes of Back pain, but it usually goes unnoticed by patients because it does not affect walking. Spinal degeneration, on the other hand, typically results from aging, which makes it one of the most common causes of back pain in senior citizens. This imaging procedure can help to determine whether spinal stenosis is a possible culprit for an individual's back pain, but more tests will be required if the diagnosis is in doubt.

Chiropractic treatments are generally reserved for patients with more severe back pain, as it is not uncommon for these symptoms to occur after certain kinds of trauma or chronic disease. These patients typically have a number of alternative treatment options available, including lifestyle changes and chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractors are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition and most often use diagnostic imaging techniques in order to determine which of the many potential culprits might be causing their patient's back pain.