These curves help absorb the impact of movement. The lower back bears most of the body's weight and is the most vulnerable to injury. Excess weight and poor muscle tone commonly contribute to back pain. Poor posture also stresses the natural curves of your back. And one out of four people with back pain missed at least one day of work in the last year due to their pain, according to a government survey.
Back pain is the second leading reason people visit a doctor.
Back pain is a common ailment which has a major physical and psychological impact on a person's well being, says May Chin, MD, co-director of GW Hospital's Pain Management Center. Pain Treatment at the Center Treatment options at the Pain Management Center include use of pain control medications, nerve blocks, physical therapy and stimulation techniques. Nerve block techniques can be used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Epidural steroid injections are used to reduce inflammation in nerve roots. Trigger point injections with local anesthetics can alleviate muscle spasm and are used in conjunction with physical therapy.