Inflammatory Back Pain (2024)

Chronic back pain can be classified as mechanical pain or inflammatory pain. Mechanical back pain occurs when there is an injury to the joints, bones, or back tissue, and inflammatory back pain occurs when there is inflammation in the spine.

This type of inflammation is typically associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic autoimmune disease resulting from vertebrae inflammation, creating inflammatory spine pain. As a form of spinal arthritis, this condition can be painful and debilitating.

Fortunately, there are treatments that can help. Back pain doctors can accurately diagnose your pain symptoms and develop an individualized treatment plan to address your inflammatory pain effectively.

Symptoms Of Inflammatory Back Pain:

Recognizing the common signs and symptoms of inflammatory back pain is critical, as they can often be mistaken for other conditions.

One of the primary symptoms you might be experiencing is persistent pain in your lower back. This lower back pain often feels worse in the morning or after periods of inactivity, potentially disrupting your sleep and making it difficult to get moving at the beginning of your day.

Additional symptoms of inflammatory back pain include chronic pain that lasts longer than three months, abdominal pain, and fatigue. Also, if the pain improves with over-the-counter medication, movement, or exercise, these factors could indicate that the culprit is inflammatory back pain.

Inflammatory back pain primarily occurs when inflammation affects the vertebrae in your spine or the sacroiliac joints. Understanding the causes of your inflammatory back pain is a crucial step on your way toward better health. In addition to ankylosing spondylitis, this inflammation can be the result of various conditions, including:

• Psoriatic Arthritis: Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune condition associated with psoriasis, which can cause inflammation in the spine.
• Reactive Arthritis: Reactive arthritis is a condition that typically develops in response to an infection in another part of your body.
• Enteropathic Arthritis: Enteropathic arthritis is a form of chronic, inflammatory arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

Remember, the causes of inflammatory back pain can vary significantly from person to person. If you're experiencing persistent back pain, it's essential to get a proper diagnosis so that you and a pain management specialist can determine the best treatment options.

What Should I Avoid if I Have Inflammatory Back Pain?

Living with inflammatory back pain can be challenging. As you navigate through your daily life, there are certain things that you should be mindful of to prevent aggravating your condition.

Firstly, prolonged periods of inactivity are not advisable. While resting might seem like a good idea when you're experiencing pain, it could actually worsen your symptoms. Movement helps reduce stiffness and keeps your joints flexible.

Furthermore, you should try to avoid:

• Heavy Physical Exertion: Overexertion can strain your back muscles and exacerbate your pain. If you need to lift heavy objects, remember to bend at your knees and not from your waist.
• Poor Posture: Sitting or standing incorrectly can increase the strain on your back. Aim to maintain a straight back and avoid slouching.
• Smoking: It's well-documented that smoking cigarettes has a harmful impact on overall health, and it can specifically worsen inflammatory back pain.
• Unhealthy Diet: Foods high in sugar and fat can increase inflammation. Try to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains into your diet.

Remember, while these guidelines are generally helpful, everyone's situation is unique. You should consult with healthcare professionals who understand your specific needs and can provide personalized advice.

How Is Inflammatory Back Pain Diagnosed?

Typically, the first step to gaining a diagnosis for inflammatory back pain involves a team of experts conducting a thorough evaluation to accurately diagnose your inflammatory back pain. This process includes a comprehensive review of your medical history and discuss any symptoms you may be experiencing.

Pain management doctors may also perform imaging tests, such as X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans, to get a better look at the affected area and identify any underlying conditions.

In some cases, nerve tests may be necessary to determine if there is any nerve damage contributing to your pain. Pain management doctors will work closely with you to ensure a proper diagnosis and develop an effective treatment plan. For example, an inflammatory back pain specialist may recommend treatments, like a medication regimen that treats inflammation and suppresses immunity. This approach aims to help stop the progression of any disease.

We at Pain and Spine Specialists believe in a balanced, multidisciplinary approach to diagnosing and treating your pain. That's why we provide options for those suffering from inflammatory back pain to help them regain their mobility.

Some of the treatments we offer for managing inflammatory back pain are:

• Medication Management: Pain specialists use a systematic approach to prescribing, monitoring, and adjusting medications to optimize treatment effectiveness and patient safety. This should also include regular consultations, personalized plans, and ongoing assessments of your progress.
• Radiofrequency Ablation: Radiofrequency ablation utilizes radiofrequency waves to generate heat, targeting and disrupting specific pain-causing nerves, effectively reducing chronic pain symptoms.
• Intrathecal Pumps: Intrathecal pumps are devices implanted under the skin, delivering pain-relieving medication directly to the spinal fluid for continuous relief, reducing systemic side effects, and allowing precise dosage control for improved patient comfort.
• Spinal Cord Stimulation: Electrical impulses from implanted devices target spinal nerves, disrupting pain signals, alleviating chronic discomfort, and enhancing patients' quality of life.
• Injections: There is a range of targeted injections used for inflammatory back pain, including epidural steroid injections, sacroiliac joint injections, and lumbar sympathetic blocks, among others. These treatments are designed to provide relief by reducing inflammation and blocking pain signals in your nerves.

Remember, every patient's situation is unique, and the best treatment plan for you will depend on your specific symptoms, overall health, and personal preferences.

For the past twenty years, our back and spine specialists have taken pride in the compassionate and dedicated care we provide for our patients. We are a team of skilled and experienced doctors who aim to restore your mobility. We can successfully determine if the back pain you are experiencing is acute, chronic, or inflammatory and develop an individualized treatment plan for your health goals. Our team of inflammatory back pain doctors is committed to giving you the most effective treatment when treating your pain. We believe that all patients should have access to exceptional care.

If you would like more information about our inflammatory back pain treatments or other types of back pain, please call Pain and Spine Specialists and speak to our dedicated team to improve your range of motion. You can call (301) 703-8767 for our doctors in Maryland, (724) 603-3560 for our Pennsylvania doctors), or (540) 433-1905 to talk to our Virginia doctors. Or, if you prefer, you can contact us online by filling out a simple form.

Inflammatory back pain can be a debilitating condition, but it doesn't have to control your life. With the proper diagnosis and treatment plan from our Pain and Spine Specialists team, you can regain your mobility and feel like yourself again.