Back Injury Treatment in Buffalo, NY

It’s normal to feel a little bit of discomfort in your upper or lower back from time to time. In fact, 80 percent of the population will complain of low back pain at some point in their life. You might pull a muscle or end up a bit achy after a rousing tennis match. If you suffer from a back injury, though, you know the pain is anything but normal. It makes it difficult to enjoy your favorite activities, and simply getting out of bed in the morning can feel like a chore.

If you have injured your back, it’s time to call Medical Care of Western New York at Buffalo. Our beautiful office has a full assortment of treatment options for back injuries, ranging from diagnostic tools to physical therapy. That means you won’t have to travel around Buffalo and the rest of New York to get the treatment you need when you choose us. Call Medical Care of WNY, where healing happens!

What Causes Back Pain?

Each year, a lot of people see a physician because of back pain. Injuries can occur for a variety of reasons, such as engaging rarely used back muscles for yard work or to lift a heavy object. Tripping and falling, car accidents, and direct blows can also lead to back injuries. You can even get a back injury from having poor posture when walking or sitting at the computer.

Back injuries are divided into two categories. You can get an acute or overuse injury. The category depends on how the injury occurred.

Acute Back Injury

Back Injury Treatment in Buffalo, NY Work Injury & Car Accident Doctor

An acute back injury is also known as a sudden injury. These injuries are caused by accidents, such as falls, slips, and car accidents. The pain from these injuries is usually immediate and severe. It is normal to develop swelling and bruising with an acute back injury.

Strains, sprains, fractures, and torn or ruptured discs are all acute back injuries. Immediate treatment is needed for these injuries.

Overuse Back Injury

Overuse back injuries are also quite common. These injuries are typically caused by poor posture or movement when standing, lifting, sitting, or walking. You can even end up with an overuse injury due to the way you sleep.

Unlike acute injuries, the symptoms from overuse injuries develop gradually. You might notice a bit of pain one day, and then it will start to get worse until it begins to interfere with your daily life. Along with pain, you can experience muscle spasms and stiffness with overuse injuries.

Common Back Injuries

Medical Care of Western New York at Buffalo treats a wide range of back injuries. However, some injuries are more common than others.

Sprains and Strains

Many people with back pain are diagnosed with a strain or a sprain. This occurs when you stretch a muscle further than intended or tear a ligament. This leads to inflammation around the muscles. Inflammation can cause the back to spasm, which is actually a way for the body to heal itself. The spasm freezes the muscles in the injured area in place so they can heal. That is why it is so difficult to move if you have a back sprain or strain.

The team at Medical Care of Western New York at Buffalo will evaluate your injury and provide treatment to decrease the spasms and help the ligaments heal.

Herniated Discs

Your vertebrae are cushioned with small, round, flat discs. These discs have a strong outer layer that protects the jellylike material inside. A herniated disc occurs when the jellylike substance leaks out of the disc. There is not enough room to accommodate the substance and the spinal nerve, so the displaced substance irritates the nerve.

Herniated discs can cause severe pain, numbness, and weakness. However, if the jellylike substance doesn’t press on a nerve, the person might not have significant symptoms.

Herniated discs are often caused by acute injuries. For instance, someone might lift something too heavy and herniate the disc.

This can also be a degenerative injury. The disc deteriorates as people age. As it gets weaker, it becomes easier for it to rupture.

Sciatica

Sciatica is a symptom of a herniated disc. The disc presses on the nerves in the lumbar spine, causing pain that radiates from the hip or lower back to the leg. Some people report sharp pains, while others experience leg cramps.

Fractured Vertebrae

Vertebrae fractures occur when an external force is greater than what the vertebral column can support. There are several types of spinal fractures.

A compression fracture happens when the front section of the vertebrae breaks while the back section remains intact. The front section loses height as well, but the back does not. The bones typically stay in place with this type of fracture. While some injuries can cause a compression fracture, it is most common in people with osteoporosis.

A burst fracture occurs when both the front and back sides of the vertebra break.  Both sections lose height. This typically happens when people fall from a significant height and land on their feet.

A flexion/distraction fracture is much more severe. If you suffer from this type of back injury, your vertebra will actually pull apart. This is most common in people who have been involved in a head-on collision.

A fracture-dislocation is diagnosed when the vertebra becomes displaced and is unstable. This is most common when the spinal cord is compressed.

Finally, you can suffer from a traverse process fracture. This is very uncommon and is caused by extreme rotation. The vertebra usually remains stable.

Degenerative Disc Disease

Spinal discs typically wear down as people age, although that is not always the case. This can occur due to the drying of the disc, daily activities that put pressure on the disc, or injuries. Spinal discs don’t receive much blood so the discs cannot repair themselves, leading to degenerative disc disease.

This disease has three stages. First, you will experience acute pain. Second, the bone located at the source of the injury will become unstable. During this stage, the pain comes and goes.

Finally, the body will stabilize the back, although it won’t heal the disc. This will reduce the amount of pain, although you will still experience some symptoms.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction (Sacroiliitis)

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction presents when the sacroiliac joints become inflamed. This condition is caused by arthritis, trauma, and pyogenic sacroiliitis.

If you have this condition, you will likely experience pain in your lower back, thigh, hip, or buttock. It will intensify if you rotate your hips.

Spinal Stenosis

When you age, your spinal canal can narrow. The narrowing increases the pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. This can lead to weakness, pain, and numbness in the legs. This condition is very uncomfortable, but there are lots of nonsurgical treatment options available. Medical Care of Western New York at Buffalo uses the least invasive approach possible to treat this and other conditions.

Get the Treatment You Need for Your Back Injury at Medical Care of WNY

Back injuries are incredibly painful, and in some cases, debilitating. Instead of continuing to suffer, make an appointment at our office. We can diagnose and treat your injury in one spot, and we accept no-fault and workers’ compensation claims. We also accept various types of insurance.

Walk-ins are welcome, so come and see us today or call for an appointment.

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