Conditions

Neck pain is a very common problem. Approximately 80% of the population suffers from neck pain at some point in their lives. Neck pain, although felt in the neck, can be caused by numerous causes. Common causes for neck pain include:

Muscular inflammation and tightness in both the neck and upper back
Muscle strain or pulled neck muscles
Degeneration/arthritis of the spine including disc degeneration, disc bulging, disc herniation (sliped disc) and facet arthropathy
Pinched nerves causing radiating pain or radicular pain
Fractured or broken vertebral bones
Infections
Tumors
Autoimmune conditions
Cervical sprains and many more

The neck is an essential part of the body and supports the weight of the head. The part of the spine that is present within the neck is referred to as the cervical spine. The cervical spine has several critical functions including connecting the skull to the thoracic spine, which is the part of the spine in the upper and mid back. The cervical spine protects the spinal cord and serves as a conduit for the spinal cord to send signals from the brain to ones arms and legs.

In order to allow for these crucial functions, the cervical spine is an extremely complex and mobile part of the body. Most of the neck motion occurs between the skull and the 1st cervical vertebra (flexion) as well between the 1st and 2nd cervical vertebrae (rotation). Therefore, unfortunately there are a lot of things that can go wrong or function inappropriately.

That’s why it’s critical to accurately diagnose the problem or problems causing the neck pain and systematically render the appropriate treatment. At SpineMD our highly trained and experienced specialists truly enjoy doing this on a daily basis. Please feel free to make an appointment for a throughout evaluation.

We serve North Richland Hills and the surrounding areas including Keller, Watauga, Bedford, Haltom City, Blue Mound, Saginaw, Haslet, River Oaks, Fort Worth, Colleyville, Euless, Hurst, Roanoke, Southlake, Trophy Club, Westlake, Grapevine, Flower Mound, Irving and Arlington.

Back pain is an incredibly common problem. Around 90% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their life, with about 50% of the working adult population experiencing it every year. Back pain is the most common cause of chronic pain, and is a major contributor of missed work and disability. For most patients, severe back pain is temporary with treatment. In the United States, acute low back pain is the 5th most common reason for physician visits and causes 40% of missed days off work. Worldwide, it is the single leading cause of disability.

Back pain, although felt in the back, can be caused by numerous causes. Common causes for back pain include:

Muscular inflammation and tightness
Muscle strain or pulled back muscles
Degeneration/arthritis of the spine including disc degeneration, disc bulging, disc herniation (slipped disc) and facet arthropathy
Pinched nerves causing radiating pain or radicular pain
Fractured or broken vertebral bones
Infections
Tumors
Autoimmune conditions
Lumbar sprains and many more
Pain from visceral problems (problems originating from heart, lungs, stomach, pancreas, gall bladder, kidneys, and other abdominal organs). It is crucial to determine if visceral problems are contributing to the back pain, if so timely treatment with an appropriate specialist is essential

Moreover, there are various parts of the spine within the back, which include:

Thoracic spine, which is located in the upper and mid back
Lumbar spine, which is located in the lower back
Sacrum and coccyx, which are commonly referred to as tailbone.

Therefore, even if the back pain is coming from the spine itself, it is important to determine the part of the spine that is actually causing the problem. That’s why it’s critical to accurately diagnose the problem or problems causing the back pain and systematically render the appropriate treatment or treatments. At SpineMD our highly trained and experienced specialists truly enjoy doing this on a daily basis. Please feel free to make an appointment for a throughout evaluation.

Spinal disc herniation occurs when there is a tear in the outer fibrous ring of the intervertebral vertebral disc, known as the annulus fibrosis allowing the soft, central portion, known as the nucleus pulposis to bulge out beyond the damaged outer rings. The disc herniation or slipped disc can then go on to pinch nerves and cause severe pain. If the disc herniation occurs in the neck or cervical spine it can lead to severe neck pain as well as radiating pain down the arm or cervical radiculopathy / cervical radicular pain. If the disc herniation occurs in the lower back or lumbar spine it can lead to severe low back pain as well as radiating pain down the leg or lumbar radiculopathy / lumbar radicular pain. On the other hand, if the disc herniation occurs in the upper / mid back or thoracic spine it can lead to severe upper / mid back pain as well as radiating pain into the back and side of the chest in a band like pattern or thoracic radiculopathy / thoracic radicular pain. The leg radiating pain from pinched nerve is also commonly referred to as sciatica.

Disc herniations are frequently associated with age-related degeneration or wear and tear of the outer fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc or annulus fibrosis. Sometimes, the disc herniation is triggered by trauma such as falls / car accidents, periods of excessive straining, lifting, pushing or twisting type injuries. However, in a larger percentage of cases it maybe unrelated to an injury and patients simply wake up one day with pain resulting from a disc herniation or slipped disc.

The location of the disc herniation is frequently postero-lateral (on the back and either left or right side) of the intervertebral disc because it is a weak spot due to the absence of the posterior longitudinal ligament; which is located directly posterior to the disc in the spinal canal. The postero-lateral disc herniation is perfectly positioned to pinch nerves and causing radiating pain down the arm or leg, known as upper extremity radiculopathy or lower extremity radiculopathy. Furthermore, a tear in the annulus fibrosis may result in the release of chemicals causing inflammation and severe back pain. And if this inflammation is next to a nerve it can cause severe radiating pain down the arms or legs depending on the location whether it is in the cervical or lumbar spine.

In patients who have a large disc herniation, it can cause severe nerve nerve root compression leading to weakness in their arms or legs.

Furthermore, some patients who have large disc herniations in the neck it can lead to cervical stenosis, spinal cord compression and cervical myelopathy.

Patients who have large disc herniations in the low back can lead to lumbar stenosis, cauda equina and neurogenic claudication.

It is not uncommon for patients to have multiple disc bulges and herniations. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately diagnose the level causing the pain in order to appropriately treat the patient. At SpineMD our highly trained and experienced specialists truly enjoy doing this on a daily basis. Please feel free to make an appointment for a throughout evaluation.