“What kind of doctor should I see for back pain?”
I am a 20 year old female. I want to know what kind of doctor should I see for back pain?
6 Answers
Sports medicine specialist, ideally non-surgical. Look up a local doctor on www.amssm.com under 'Search for a Doc'
If you are dealing with chronic lower back pain, it is likely that you never imagined your life would end up like this. Pain can be a constant battle. Back pain in particular can be a setback in life. It can make it challenging for you to complete everyday activities or simply enjoy yourself. No doubt, you long for the days of yesteryear when chronic pain did not define who you were or what you were able to do. Finding relief for chronic lower back pain can change you as a person. It can affect you physically, emotionally, and mentally.
A major part of treating pain in the lower back is understanding what causes it. From there, it’s important to examine some of the different treatment options that might be available for you. This is exactly what we are going to do when you visit our office.
What is Chronic Pain?
Before we delve into reasons why you might be experiencing pain in your lower back, we think it’s good to define what chronic pain is. Chronic pain is different from acute pain. Acute pain is the pain that you feel when you cut your finger or pull a muscle. The injury that you’re experiencing is what’s producing the pain. Your body is trying to tell you that something is wrong so that you can take corrective measures.
It is very different when a person has chronic pain. When a person experiences chronic pain, the pain can last for months or years, even after the injury that caused the initial pain is gone. The medical community defines chronic pain as pain that lasts for at least three months. As you may know all too well, chronic pain takes a toll on a person’s mental health and day-to-day life.
There are a couple of reasons why a person may be experiencing chronic pain. One could be that they have a chronic injury that they have not been able to correct. Once a trained doctor is able to correct the injury, then it’s likely that the pain will subside. However, other individuals have experienced an injury in the lower back and the injury has healed itself, but their nerve signals are still firing after the condition has healed.
Some people experience chronic pain with no trigger whatsoever. However, most people who have chronic pain in their lower back have it as the result of an injury.
What Conditions Can Cause Lower Back Pain?
There are a number of conditions that may be behind your pain. There is not enough time to discuss them all, but we will briefly review some of the more prominent ones.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease is a disease that affects the reproductive organs in women. This condition affects approximately one million women in the United States every single year. There are a number of bacteria that can cause this disease. With time, the bacteria can create infections in the pelvic organs. One of the common symptoms of this disease is persistent pain in the lower back.
A Herniated Disc
A herniated disc is another common reason for lower back pain. To understand how this condition occurs, you first need to visualize the construction of your spinal column. Your spinal column is constructed with a series of bones, or vertebrae. These bones are stacked one on top of the other. They form sections in your spine. The top seven are your cervical spine. Then, there are 12 in the middle that are your thoracic spine, or the spine that covers the area where your rib cage and chest are located. Finally, you have five on the bottom. These comprise your lumbar spine, or your lower back.
In between your vertebrae are cushioning discs. These discs have been designed to serve as shock absorbers. So when you run, walk, lift, or twist, they take some of the shock. Your discs are made up of two parts. You can almost imagine them being like a jelly filled doughnut. On the outside of your disc, there is a hard surface. On the inside, there is a soft, jelly-like inner portion.
When the outer portion of the disc is damaged, some of the inner portion is able to protrude out into the outer ring. This is a slipped disc or a herniated disc. This condition can cause some serious pain or discomfort. This is especially true if the herniated material puts pressure on the nerves in your spine. Not only will you experience pain in the location of the slipped disc, but it is also possible for you to experience pain all the way down the path of the nerve. This could include severe pain in the buttocks, down the leg, and in the foot.
You know that you might be battling with a slipped disc if you feel muscle weakness, a burning sensation, or pain that gets worse as you sit or stand. The type of pain you experience with a slipped disc is going to vary, but for many, this is the cause of their chronic lower back pain.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition that may be linked to a herniated disc. Your sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body. It starts at your spinal cord and goes down to your buttocks and then legs. Your sciatic nerve is one of the most important nerves that you have as it is responsible for your ability to control as well as feel your legs. When this nerve is irritated, it produces sciatica.
A major part of treating pain in the lower back is understanding what causes it. From there, it’s important to examine some of the different treatment options that might be available for you. This is exactly what we are going to do when you visit our office.
What is Chronic Pain?
Before we delve into reasons why you might be experiencing pain in your lower back, we think it’s good to define what chronic pain is. Chronic pain is different from acute pain. Acute pain is the pain that you feel when you cut your finger or pull a muscle. The injury that you’re experiencing is what’s producing the pain. Your body is trying to tell you that something is wrong so that you can take corrective measures.
It is very different when a person has chronic pain. When a person experiences chronic pain, the pain can last for months or years, even after the injury that caused the initial pain is gone. The medical community defines chronic pain as pain that lasts for at least three months. As you may know all too well, chronic pain takes a toll on a person’s mental health and day-to-day life.
There are a couple of reasons why a person may be experiencing chronic pain. One could be that they have a chronic injury that they have not been able to correct. Once a trained doctor is able to correct the injury, then it’s likely that the pain will subside. However, other individuals have experienced an injury in the lower back and the injury has healed itself, but their nerve signals are still firing after the condition has healed.
Some people experience chronic pain with no trigger whatsoever. However, most people who have chronic pain in their lower back have it as the result of an injury.
What Conditions Can Cause Lower Back Pain?
There are a number of conditions that may be behind your pain. There is not enough time to discuss them all, but we will briefly review some of the more prominent ones.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease is a disease that affects the reproductive organs in women. This condition affects approximately one million women in the United States every single year. There are a number of bacteria that can cause this disease. With time, the bacteria can create infections in the pelvic organs. One of the common symptoms of this disease is persistent pain in the lower back.
A Herniated Disc
A herniated disc is another common reason for lower back pain. To understand how this condition occurs, you first need to visualize the construction of your spinal column. Your spinal column is constructed with a series of bones, or vertebrae. These bones are stacked one on top of the other. They form sections in your spine. The top seven are your cervical spine. Then, there are 12 in the middle that are your thoracic spine, or the spine that covers the area where your rib cage and chest are located. Finally, you have five on the bottom. These comprise your lumbar spine, or your lower back.
In between your vertebrae are cushioning discs. These discs have been designed to serve as shock absorbers. So when you run, walk, lift, or twist, they take some of the shock. Your discs are made up of two parts. You can almost imagine them being like a jelly filled doughnut. On the outside of your disc, there is a hard surface. On the inside, there is a soft, jelly-like inner portion.
When the outer portion of the disc is damaged, some of the inner portion is able to protrude out into the outer ring. This is a slipped disc or a herniated disc. This condition can cause some serious pain or discomfort. This is especially true if the herniated material puts pressure on the nerves in your spine. Not only will you experience pain in the location of the slipped disc, but it is also possible for you to experience pain all the way down the path of the nerve. This could include severe pain in the buttocks, down the leg, and in the foot.
You know that you might be battling with a slipped disc if you feel muscle weakness, a burning sensation, or pain that gets worse as you sit or stand. The type of pain you experience with a slipped disc is going to vary, but for many, this is the cause of their chronic lower back pain.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition that may be linked to a herniated disc. Your sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body. It starts at your spinal cord and goes down to your buttocks and then legs. Your sciatic nerve is one of the most important nerves that you have as it is responsible for your ability to control as well as feel your legs. When this nerve is irritated, it produces sciatica.
Back pain can be a tricky diagnosis and may require a multi-disciplinary approach. I typically recommend starting with your primary care physician, who can help decide initially treatment including medications and physical therapy as well as work with imaging. Should surgery be required, there are orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons who both specialize in spinal surgery. Injections may be another part of treatment and can be performed by a physiatrist (physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist) or an anesthesiologist who specializes in pain management.
I would suggest you to see a neurologist.
Dr. Sundar.
Dr. Sundar.
At age 20, most likely pain is mechanical, meaning some locked up joints called facets or SI (sacroilliac). That said, a screening and xray to rule out any less common issues. Would see an orthopaedic surgeon first, possibly a neurosurgeon or Chiropractor.
If no significant findings with the screening exam, then a physical therapist would be next. Must be a PT who is well qualified in manual or manipulative techniques.
If no significant findings with the screening exam, then a physical therapist would be next. Must be a PT who is well qualified in manual or manipulative techniques.
I would recommend starting with a primary care physician.
