Sudden Back Pain
Almost everyone experiences a back problem sometime in their life. But if someone over 75 years (especially a woman) experiences a new back pain that wasn’t present before, it is almost always caused by a spinal fracture known as a vertebral compression fracture. Few doctors know that this is the cause. It’s not a sprain, pulled muscle, arthritis, or a pinched nerve. There may or may not be a deformity. Often x rays and even CT scans don't show it. Only an MRI will be able to diagnose it for sure.
Vertebral compression fractures are often very painful and severely disabling. Left alone they usually continue to cause major pain while further collapsing over a period of several months.
The good news is that these fractures can be successfully treated with a minimally invasive surgical procedure called Kyphoplasty. Dr Henderson was the second surgeon in Michigan to perform this new procedure in 2001, now commonly doing at least one every week. Remarkably it can usually be done as an outpatient procedure with almost 100% relief immediately. If this type of pain should happen to you, call our office at 248-334-0524.
Of course, there are many other causes that may lead to back pain, hip pain, weakness, numbness, or sciatic pain radiating down the leg. It is essential that the proper diagnosis is made first so that proper treatment can be initiated. Especially when it comes to symptoms of the spine, a “problem well defined is half solved”. Unfortunately, few practitioners are knowledgeable about properly diagnosing spinal problems.
At Oakland orthopedic Partners, we are experts in the proper diagnosis of spine and back problems from the neck down to the tailbone. This allows us to treat the problem properly, most often with non operative means. You should know that almost all back pain originates in the spine and not the back muscles. The most common treatments involve proper posture, body mechanics, activity and lifestyle changes, braces, and injections. Surgical intervention is RARELY necessary! Call our office at 248-334-0524 to learn how this applies to you.