Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

Everybody’s journey to find relief from their spinal condition is different, but at the same time, many people progress through similar stages on their quest to rid themselves of back pain. With that in mind, we thought it would be helpful to cover some of the common stages that most people pass through as they successfully treat their spine pain. Below, we’ll take a look at how we help people find relief from their back pain.

The Stages Of Spine Pain Relief

People may skip certain stages or progress through these benchmarks at their own pace, but here’s a look at a typical course of treatment for back pain.

1. The Diagnosis – Treatment can’t begin unless you know what you’re up against, so a diagnosis is typically the first step in recovery. This will happen at your initial consultation where the specialist will conduct a physical examination and may order x-rays. You’ll know what you’re dealing with before leaving this appointment, or within a few days if imaging results need to be taken and evaluated.
2. Non-Operative Care – For the vast majority of patients, your specialist will first attempt to treat the issue with conservative methods. It’s very rare that surgery will be the first step, unless you are dealing with a life-threatening condition that needs to be treated effectively as soon as possible. The most common types of conservative care include a combination of physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, exercise, weight loss, lifestyle changes, posture improvements and short-term rest.
3. Operative Care – The majority of back pain sufferers will never reach this stage because conservative care will successfully address their issue. However, for a small minority, they may need to undergo a procedure if more than six weeks of conservative care has failed to yield results. If possible, the surgeon will likely attempt to perform the operation on a minimally invasive basis in order to reduce the impact on the patient and speed up your recovery. Surgery isn’t typically needed, but it usually produces fantastic results.
4. Rehabilitation – If you underwent an operation, you’re going to have to put together a concentrated effort during the rehabilitation stage in order to make the greatest physical improvement. Many of the same concepts in the non-operative stage will be present here, as you will almost assuredly be asked to partake in physical therapy for a number of weeks to strengthen the area and improve spinal mobility. You’ll also need to care for your wound site, limit your activity and ensure your body is getting all it needs from your diet.
5. Continued Improvements – The final stage never really ends, because you want to make adjustments to your daily life to reduce your risk of the problem returning. That includes being mindful of your posture and making changes when you find that you’re putting excess pressure on your lumbar or cervical spine, eating healthier to get your body the nutrients it needs, and striving to work towards or maintain a healthy weight to limit unnecessary stress on your spine.

For help on your journey to find relief from back pain, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at the Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today.

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