When it comes to back pain, doctors and patients aim to avoid surgery until it’s truly necessary. The recovery for spinal surgery can be long and intense, and you might not be ready to commit to such a procedure. Depending on what’s causing your back pain, regular injections might be enough to manage your symptoms.
At Progressive Spine & Sports Medicine in Ramsey, New Jersey, we can treat your low back pain with a variety of injectable medications. Here’s what you need to know.
Before considering any avenue of treatment for your back pain, it’s important to consult a specialist to determine the cause. Although poor posture and strain account for many cases, certain spinal conditions can cause chronic pain, including:
For herniated discs and muscle injuries, you’ll need time and physical therapy to fully recover. You might also benefit from alternative treatments like acupuncture, electrical stimulation, and osteopathic manipulation treatment (OMT).
If your back pain has not improved despite conservative measures, it might be time to consider more invasive options. This doesn’t mean jumping directly to surgery; instead, you might benefit from injections.
Some spinal injections are epidural, meaning they are placed inside the fluid-filled sleeve that surrounds your spinal cord. These medications work by masking or altering the signals nerves in your back send to your brain. Other injections work by targeting muscle groups responsible for back pain.
Steroid injections have been a common arthritis treatment for many years, providing relief from pain for weeks to months. You can only receive so many per year, and there are risks associated with long-term use, but they are a valuable option for those trying to find temporary relief.
A common example of regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy helps heal hard-to-reach injuries by injecting cells directly into the site. This reduces inflammation and provides useful cells that can be used to heal injuries, old and new.
Though we tend to think of Botox injections as purely cosmetic, the neurotoxin actually began as a treatment for lazy eye. Since Botox works as a targeted relaxant, injections into back muscles can help reduce pain caused by muscle spasms or tension.
To learn more about the different injections available for back pain, schedule a consultation with the team at Progressive Spine and Sports Medicine by calling 201-201-0443, or request an appointment online.
