Pain Awareness Month
Lower Back Pain
Established in 2001 by the American Chronic Pain Association, September marks National Pain Month in the U.S. One of the most common sources of pain is the lower back, and according to the National Institutes of health, about 80 percent of us experience low back pain at some point in our lives. Low back pain is also the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed workdays.
Two major causes of low back pain are radiculopathy (better known as sciatica) and spinal stenosis. A visit to your health care professional is the first step in dealing with low back pain and getting a proper diagnosis.
Low back pain can sometimes be treated with exercise, physical therapy and, in some cases, medication. For difficult low back pain problems – including sciatica, spinal stenosis, and pain in nearby joints – epidural (near the spinal cord) injection of steroidal painkillers may be used. These pain injections fall into an area of medical practice called interventional radiology.