Overview
Understanding back pain
Integrity Pain & Wellness treats back pain at its Arizona clinics. The practice offers minimally invasive evaluation and treatment options for lumbar and thoracic back pain, including procedures and medication management discussed after an examination.
The back includes vertebrae, discs, joints, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. Pain can come from one structure or from several factors at once. It may stay in the back or travel into the buttock, hip, or leg.
An evaluation is useful when pain persists, returns often, limits normal activity, or includes numbness or weakness. The goal is to understand the pattern before discussing any procedure.
Useful context
What people may notice
- A dull ache, sharp pain, or stiffness
- Pain that changes with lifting, bending, sitting, or standing
- Pain traveling into a buttock, hip, or leg
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness in a leg or foot
At the clinic
How evaluation works
- 01
Review when the pain started, what changes it, and how it affects activity and sleep.
- 02
Examine movement, strength, sensation, and reflexes when appropriate.
- 03
Review prior imaging and records, then decide whether new testing would change the plan.
- 04
Discuss conservative care and interventional options in the context of the working diagnosis.
References
Sources and further reading
These references provide general education. They do not replace advice from a clinician who knows your health history.
Questions and answers
Back pain FAQs
What is the best treatment for chronic lower back pain?
The best treatment depends on the cause. Options include epidural steroid injections to reduce nerve inflammation, radiofrequency ablation to disrupt pain signals from facet joints, spinal cord stimulation for persistent pain, and medication management. A pain specialist will recommend a plan after a thorough evaluation.
When should I see a doctor for back pain?
See a doctor if your back pain radiates down your leg, is accompanied by numbness or weakness, or follows an injury. These symptoms may indicate a herniated disc or spinal stenosis requiring specialist evaluation.
Does Integrity Pain & Wellness treat both acute and chronic back pain?
Yes. The practice treats both acute back pain from injuries and chronic back pain from conditions like degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and facet arthropathy.