Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

Spine pain is one of the most common health conditions in the world, so why is it oftentimes so hard to treat? Shouldn’t we have a pretty good system in place for treating a wide variety of back problems? It’s true that back pain is often difficult to treat, but it’s certainly not impossible. Some people are going about treatment in the wrong ways, while others are just misguided in the best ways to care for it. Below, we explain why spine pain can sometimes be difficult to treat and how to help regain control over your back pain.

Treating Difficult Back Pain

Back pain can be hard to treat for a number of different reasons. Here’s a look at some of the more common reasons:

• Misdiagnosis – The spine is a very complex structure, and to make matters worse, many spinal conditions result in similar symptoms. You might think that your back pain is caused by a muscle strain when actually it’s the result of a pinched nerve caused by disc degeneration. If you believe you’re dealing with one condition and begin treating that problem, there’s a good chance that the true underlying issue will not get corrected. Prevent a misdiagnosis by getting an evaluation from a trained physician, and if you’re questioning your diagnosis, consider seeking a second opinion.
• Daily Habits Keep Us In The Cycle – A lot of our daily habits put significant stress on different areas of your spine. If we’re regularly wearing high heels or constantly looking down at our phones, we’re going to keep straining our spines on a daily basis, and that will lead to continued back pain. Other habits like limited exercise and poor dietary habits can help keep us from breaking free of the back pain cycle. Recognize that some of your daily habits likely contributed to your back pain, and work to break them.
• Pursuing The Wrong Treatments – Maybe you read online that rest and pain medications are great ways to manage your back discomfort. While they may help to manage it in the short term, odds are they aren’t doing much to treat and prevent it in the long term. We need to be pursuing active treatment options like exercise, targeted stretching and physical therapy if we really want to strengthen our spine and help it become more prepared for physical activity. Try to engage in more active treatment options than passive treatments.
• It’s Hard Work – Finally, getting spine pain under control can seem difficult because it really does require hard work. You can’t just keep doing the same things and stay in bed hoping the pain will go away. You need to commit to a care plan and stick to it. If that means waking up early to do to your physical therapy sessions or meal planning for the week on Sunday evening, make sure you commit to changes that will help rectify your spine problem. It can be easy to skip exercises or eat unhealthy options, but that’s only going to make it more challenging to fight back against spine pain. Talk to your doctor and develop a plan that you can stick with to help get your back pain under control.

If you need help with any aspect of your spine care, or you want to take the first step in the journey to a day without back pain, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and his experienced team today.

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