There are different types of back pain and how they affect your body. Understanding your pain can play a key role in controlling it. Dr. Charla Fischer in New York City is experienced in helping identify the type of back pain you’re experiencing and what is causing it. There are three main categories that back pain is placed into for the majority of patients.
Acute pain
Pain lasting a short time is called acute pain. In most cases, spine physicians consider pain lasting less than 3 to 6 months to be acute pain. Discomfort that is directly linked to damaged tissue in the body may also be considered acute pain. The longer that pain lingers, it may be reclassified as chronic pain.
Chronic pain
Pain that lasts more than six months is considered chronic pain and it may be harder to identify its specific cause than acute pain. Sometimes chronic pain is a result of conditions such as spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, or degenerative disc disease. These are all diagnosable issues that Dr. Fischer is skilled at treating. However, pain with such conditions usually lasts over six months and is therefore considered chronic. Unfortunately, sometimes ongoing back pain cannot be linked to a specific cause and the symptoms must be treated instead of the underlying cause.
Neuropathic pain
Even if there is no longer tissue damage present in the back, pain may continue. Nerves associated with the area can simply keep sending messages of pain to the brain even though healing appears to be complete. Neuropathic pain is considered part of the chronic pain category due to its timeframe, but it feels different to patients because pain is usually severe or sharp. Muscle weakness, numbness or tingling may also be present and pain may radiate to other parts of the body. Dr. Fischer can provide medical care for neuropathic pain, which may include treatments like stronger prescription medications, spinal injections, or nerve blocks.