Stop Back Pain and Neck Pain from Stopping You

Should I See a Doctor for My Back Pain?

Nearly one in five Americans sees a doctor every year for back pain or neck pain. The good news is that 85 percent of spine patients can be helped without surgery. If you have back pain or neck pain that has lasted longer than a few weeks, is increasing over time, or prevents you from working, you should start by seeing your primary care physician or you can go directly to one of our spine doctors.

You don’t have to worry that you’ll be rushed to spine surgery if you don’t need it. Our back doctors start by obtaining a thorough health history to learn when your problems started, when you experience pain, and other key factors about your spine problem. They will do a physical examination, including moving your arms, legs, and torso into certain positions that help reveal problems. From there, they most likely will obtain an imaging test, usually a set of X-rays or an MRI scan, to provide a diagnosis of your spine condition.

In most cases, your spine care will start with conservative treatment. That care may include physical therapy to help strengthen the problem area and relieve your back pain or neck pain. Your back doctor also may recommend over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as acetaminophen or naproxen, prescription pain killers for very short periods of time, or steroid injections. You also may be a good candidate for a procedure to relieve your back pain or neck pain. These can include procedures, such as radiofrequency ablation or spinal cord stimulation, that prevent nerves from transmitting back pain or neck pain signals to the brain.

Emergency Spine Conditions

If your spine problem is causing severe and immediate problems, you may require spine surgery immediately. Symptoms of a serious spine condition that need immediate treatment are extreme pain, loss of bladder or bowel control, loss of sensation in your fingers or toes, or weakness in any part of your body. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should go to the closest emergency room.

Spine Fractures and Spine Tumors

Structural spine conditions caused by an accident, arthritis or aging are the most common conditions treated by back doctors. But our spine neurosurgeons treat a wide variety of spine conditions including scoliosis and other congenital spine deformities, spine fractures caused by accidents or aging, and spine tumors that can be cancerous or benign.

Spine Care at Penn Highlands

All our clincs provide comprehensive spine care, including diagnosis, non-surgical treatments, and pre- and post-surgical care. All spine surgery is performed at the new Brain and Spine Center at Penn Highlands DuBois. Call one number to schedule an appointment at any of these clinics: 814-503-4433.