Lower Back Pain Treatment in Gaithersburg & Riverdale, MD
Evaluation and Treatment
It is possible that a tear can become worse and continue to tear until it becomes loose within the knee. If this occurs it can cause the knee to lock or pop sometimes with or without pain. Often times a history will reveal how the injury occurred and an examination of the knee is needed. Depending on the severity, location and symptoms dictates the care received. In most cases physical therapy will be performed for a set number of weeks, which often resolves the injury and return to activity. If the symptoms do not improve advanced imaging (MRI) will be obtained with a surgical consult for resolution of the injury.
Low back pain is a very common condition in the United States with 31 million people experiencing pain at any given time. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide with the annual cost of back pain approximately $50 billion dollars. Approximately 80% of the population will experience low back pain at some point in there life.
The spine has many structures that can cause pain. Joint, muscles, tendon, ligament and disc all have the potential to produce pain. Some good news is 80% of acute episodes of pain resolve around 6 weeks. However, the duration and intensity cannot be predicted of each episode. Seeking treatment for low back pain with manipulation can resolve the episode of pain faster.
What to know!
In general there are three types of back pain and the most common is known as mechanical low back pain. This type of pain responds well to conservative management and generally resolves within a few weeks. If you start to experience unexplained weight loss, fever or chills, bowel/bladder changes, cramping, numbness or weakness in the legs immediate examination is necessary. Some causes of low back pain are over use (repetitive stress injury), disc herniation, degeneration (disc or spine), arthritis and stenosis.
Examination and Treatment
The examination and history will narrow down what is causing the pain, what are the best options for treatment and what time frame it might take to resolve. Manipulation (cracking) of the spine has been shown to effectively treat low back pain. The additional use of therapies such as corrective exercises (physical therapy), decompression or traction, myofascial release (a form a massage) and muscle stimulation help reduce low back pain. In some rare cases disc herniation will not respond to this form of care and advance imaging (MRI) will be necessary with a surgical consult.