Back and Neck Pain
Don't let back or neck pain keep you from living life fully. Our spine specialists are here to help.
Back and Neck Pain
Back and neck pain are common conditions. At any point in time, about one in four U.S. adults are experiencing low back pain and one in seven have neck pain. Worldwide, low back pain is the leading cause of disability.
Despite how often they occur, no two spine problems are the same. That’s why our spine specialists work with you to understand your condition and the best way to treat it. From diagnosis to treatment and beyond, we provide personalized care to help you find relief.
Looking for a Second Opinion?
If you’re not satisfied with the care you’ve received elsewhere and would like a second opinion, we’ll provide one. You can trust that our multidisciplinary team will conduct a thorough assessment and provide you with a customized treatment plan.Your peace of mind is important. Let us help you consider all your treatment options.
Causes of Back and Neck Pain
Common causes of back and neck pain include:
Wear and tear on your joints is a natural part of aging. But over time, the bones of your spine (vertebrae) and cartilage discs between them can break down. The spaces around your spinal cord and nerves can also become narrow.
Spinal conditions that occur due to wear and tear include:
- Compression fractures: Breaks in brittle vertebrae that cause them to collapse
- Degenerative disc disease: Deterioration of the discs due to osteoarthritis, often causing bone spurs
- Herniated discs: A tear or bulge in a disc
- Spinal stenosis: A narrowing of the space around your spinal cord
- Spondylolisthesis: Slippage of one vertebra over the vertebra below it
Other conditions that can cause back and neck pain include:
- Congenital spine conditions you have at birth
- Infections, such as in the tissue around the spinal cord (meningitis)
- Inflammatory conditions, such as ankylosing spondylitis
- Neuroimmune disorders, such as transverse myelitis
- Neurological conditions, like movement disorders
- Scoliosis and complex spine deformities
- Spinal tumors (cancerous and non-cancerous)
Back and Neck Pain Symptoms
Back and neck pain can be shooting, burning or aching. You may also feel tingling, numbness and weakness in your extremities. The pain may be worse with certain movements or present all the time.Diagnosing Back and Neck Pain
Understanding the cause of your pain is key to finding the right treatment. Your provider will review your symptoms and medical history and perform a physical exam. They may order one or more diagnostic tests to pinpoint the source of your pain or rule out other conditions.
Common tests we use to diagnose back and neck pain include:
- X-rays of your back, neck and pelvis
- CT scans and MRI to look for nerve compression, soft tissue damage and other changes not visible with X-rays
- Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies to check for muscle and nerve damage
Treating Back and Neck Pain
Our approach to back pain varies depending on the cause, severity and your goals for treatment. Rest and over-the-counter pain medicines might be all you need for minor issues. If you have chronic back or neck pain, we may recommend other treatments, including:
Whenever possible, we start care with non-surgical treatments through Memorial Rehabilitation Institute. This nationally ranked program provides a comprehensive selection of therapies and pain management procedures, including:
- Physical therapy
- Acupuncture
- Braces
- Nonopioid pain medications
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Spinal injections
Find out more about non-surgical spine care.
After surgery, we coordinate your care with our rehabilitation team to help you recover and regain strength, flexibility and mobility.
Learn more about spine surgery.
Blue Distinction Center+ for Spine Surgery
Memorial Regional Hospital is a Blue Distinction Center+ for Spine Surgery. This recognition is reserved for centers that provide comprehensive spine surgery services and meet rigorous standards for patient outcomes. At Memorial, our patients have lower rates of hospital readmissions after spine surgery and fewer reoperations.
Back and Neck Pain: Why Choose Memorial Neuroscience Institute?
As a leading destination for neurosurgery and neurorehabilitation in the region, we offer:
- Dedicated team: Our spine team includes fellowship-trained neurosurgeons and rehabilitation specialists with extensive experience diagnosing and treating back and neck pain. They work together and with you to provide care that best fits your needs. Meet our team.
- Comprehensive treatment options: At Memorial, you have access to a wide range of non-surgical and surgical treatments. Our providers guide you compassionately through these options, keeping your interests at the forefront.
- Streamlined care: Patients come to us at different stages of their care journey. If you’re a new patient, we assess your condition and direct you to the right specialist. This guided approach ensures you get the right care — whether that includes a non-surgical spine treatment or surgical evaluation.
- Quality focus: Our team of neurosurgeons meets frequently to discuss complex cases and how best to treat them. They also review patient outcomes continuously to find ways to improve care.
- Convenient locations: Our spine specialists see patients at offices in South Broward and Miami-Dade counties. View our locations.
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