Damage to the lumbar spine is the most common type of back pain. At Colorado Clinic in Colorado Springs, Loveland, and Greeley, Colorado, the pain management providers perform several interventional treatments to alleviate lumbar spine pain in the lower back, including facet joint and epidural steroid injections. To learn more about lumbar spine treatments, call Colorado Clinic or schedule an appointment online today.
The lumbar spine is the region in the lower back. This area of the spine serves several functions, including supporting and stabilizing the upper body, protecting the spinal cord, and providing movement in the legs.
With five vertebrae and a number of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves, the lumbar spine is especially vulnerable to wear-and-tear.
Lumbar spine pain is common in people of all ages, but it’s especially prevalent in individuals over age 30. The most common causes of lumbar spine pain include:
If pain in your lower back lasts longer than six months after surgery, you may have post-surgical pain from nerve damage.
The discs that sit in between your vertebrae act as shock absorbers. Each disc has a hard outer shell and a softer center. The center can push through and irritate surrounding nerves when the outer shell degenerates from osteoarthritis or injury.
When the cartilage around the facet joints in the spine breaks down, chronic pain and stiffness can develop.
Failed back surgery syndrome occurs when your procedure is unsuccessful in its goals. Most back pain surgery aims to stabilize damaged joints or decompress pinched nerves. If the pain continues after surgery, alternative therapies may be your best option for relief.
A laminectomy is a procedure that removes a portion of bone from the vertebrae to relieve pain. If the procedure fails, the doctors at Colorado Clinic can reduce your pain with a number of interventional treatments.
The sciatic nerve stretches from your lower back down the back of your buttocks, thighs, and legs. Compression of the nerve can lead to frequent pain, tingling, and weakness.
The type of treatment your doctor at Colorado Clinic recommends depends on the exact cause and location of your pain. Common treatments for lumbar spine pain include injections, such as:
Radiofrequency nerve ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat to target a pain-transmitting nerve.
Discography is an injection technique that allows your doctor to evaluate your pain for the appropriate treatment better.
To learn more about lumbar spine pain, call Colorado Clinic or schedule an appointment online today.