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HEALTH
WHAT DOES YOUR BACK PAIN MEAN? DR. GARY ALEGRE WEIGHS IN BY NORA HESTON TARTE
S
ince as many as 85 percent of individuals will experience lower back pain in their lifetime, it’s important to understand—and explore— the different reasons for your discomfort. Anything from a strained muscle to degenerative arthritis can be at play, and the appropriate treatments for each vary greatly. Read on to learn more about the peskiest, and most serious, issues to affect your back, as well as what you can do to find relief. says Gary Alegre, MD, a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and MOST COMMON BACK ISSUES fellowship trained spine surgeon with Alpine Orthopaedic Medical Group. “A pulled muscle does not cause severe pain or pain into the If you’re experiencing back ISSUE: Muscle or tissue sprain or strain leg.” pain, try and pinpoint what SYMPTOM: General soreness in the Next, consider the level of severity. Back pain from a pulled the underlying cause may be. muscle that should get better in a few muscle can cause a lot of discomfort, but symptoms such as leg pain, A doctor will need to provide a days. diagnosis for many issues, but problems controlling urination, and loss of sensation in the saddle area of your buttocks could all be indicative of an emergency. Less self-assessment is a good first ISSUE: Disc injury severe, pain that persists over several days or prevents walking should step. Start by evaluating your SYMPTOM: Can be associated with signal a call to the doctor. For minor pain, or as a first resort, start by pain/symptoms. For example, pain, numbness, or weakness into resting a sore back, keeping one or both legs. While most heal in good posture, and avoiding six weeks, the problem can become bending, twisting, or lifting. chronic. Whatever you do, stay on top of it. “Low back pain is the ISSUE: Compression fracture leading cause of disability in SYMPTOM: Severe back pain caused by minor injury in someone with weak bones.
WHAT TO DO
“Low back pain occurs in all age groups, however, people between 35-50 years are affected most commonly,” – Dr. Alegre
ISSUE: Degenerative arthritis SYMPTOM: Can produce chronic/longterm pain and can lead to pain into the leg or legs and even difficulty walking.
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pain caused by a bulging disc feels different that pain caused by a pulled muscle. “Pain from [a] bulging disc can cause severe back and/or leg pain,”
patients younger than 50,” Dr. Alegre says. The doctor’s final thoughts? Most back pain resolves in a matter of days or weeks and isn’t severe, but prolonged back pain shouldn’t go undiagnosed.
ALPINE ORTHOPAEDIC
2488 N. California St., Stockton (209) 946-7200 AlpineOrthopaedic.com
