Different types of back pain can indicate different underlying causes, depending on the location on the back, the severity of the pain, and how the pain feels. Your sports medicine specialist will conduct an evaluation and determine the root cause of your pain so it can be properly and fully treated.
Let’s talk about some of the main types of back pain, why they occur, and where you can go in Dallas and the greater DFW area for outstanding sports medicine and long-lasting treatment of your back pain.
The Main Types of Back Pain
Once your back pain is diagnosed by a doctor, it can be treated in a targeted way. This enables the treatment to be most effective at combating your pain.
Three of the most common types of pain in the back include the following:
- Radicular Pain – This is a searing or electric shock type of pain. Its path is from a spinal nerve running down the spinal canal, and it is usually caused by inflammation of a spinal nerve root. This pain typically travels from the lumbar spine (in the lower back) into one or both legs, but it can also originate higher up in the back and radiate to an arm or shoulder. Sciatica is a type of radicular pain.
- Axial Pain – This is also known as mechanical pain, and this type of back pain is usually felt in one region or spot on the back or neck. The pain may come and go, and it tends to cause a sharp throbbing pain.
- Referred Pain – This type of back pain tends to move around and vary in intensity. This tends to be a sign of an underlying internal issue, such as pancreatic damage; it can even be due to an injury to another part of your body, and the pain is radiating through the nerves. Medical researchers continue to study the reasons why the body can have this type of reaction.
When Could My Back Pain Be Shingles?
A less-common reason for back pain is shingles. Shingles can appear virtually anywhere in the body, but it most frequently appears as a line across half of the mid-torso.
If you have an odd, almost linear rash-like group of blisters forming along one section of your back – and it ends at your spine, only going across one side of your body – it is almost certainly shingles. If you have ever had chickenpox, then you have the virus that causes shingles in your system.
If you think you have shingles, apply a non-medicinal moisturizing skin cream on the blister line right away, such as hand cream or cold cream that you like. Apply the cream over the entire blister line twice a day every day until it subsides, so you will likely continue doing this for about two months. If you begin applying this cream to the blisters right away, as soon as you suspect shingles, the blisters have a good chance of subsiding soon and never bursting.
The reason why shingles are painful is that it is inflammation along a nerve line. See a doctor right away so that you can get a prescription treatment that will help to tamp down the back pain and help you sleep.
Back Doctor and Sports Medicine Specialist in Dallas
If you are an active person who is looking for a sports doctor or a back specialist in the Dallas and DFW area, the medical team at Reagan Integrated Sports Medicine is here for you. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with one of our excellent sports doctors, call us today at (972) 503-7272 or contact us via our online form. You can also book an appointment now. We look forward to serving you!
