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Low Back

Is Low Back Pain Common?

If you’re suffering from low back pain, you’ve got a lot of company. It’s the leading cause of disability worldwide and the main reason that American workers lose valuable productivity time. Our research shows that 90% of the American population report experiencing back pain at some point in their lives.

Low back pain:

  • Affects people of all ages and backgrounds
  • May improve or worsen over time, depending on the cause and your lifestyle
  • May respond to conservative lower back pain treatment and lifestyle changes
  • Becomes a chronic and debilitating condition for many
  • Costs Americans almost $50 billion each year on chronic lower back pain treatment
  • Leads to missed work and reduced productivity that costs another $100 billion

If afflicted with low back pain, you’re probably searching for a lower back pain doctor near me. If you live near Edison, NJ, lower back pain relief is nearby at NU-Spine, The Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Institute. At this modern medical facility, renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Branko Skovrlj offers surgical options to end your back pain permanently.

When Is Back Pain Serious?

Back pain may only strike occasionally — after a particularly grueling workout or following a day of sitting in meetings for hours on end. Your lower back may throb constantly or consistently bother you with shooting pains.

Common signs that you’ve got serious lower back problems that require intervention include:

  • When pain from your lower back radiates down one or both of your legs
  • Discomfort that’s aggravated by twisting, bending, standing, lifting or walking
  • Persistent pain that won’t go away even with rest
  • Unexplained weight loss in addition to the lower back pain
  • Pain accompanied by weakness and a tingling sensation in your legs

While most lower back pain worsens over time if left untreated, there are instances when symptoms require immediate medical attention. Visit the emergency room if you feel back pain:

  • After an accident or sports injury
  • Along with fever symptoms
  • That accompanies sudden bowel or bladder incontinence

What Are the Main Causes of Lower Back Pain?

The source of lower back pain isn’t always easily recognizable. You may have pulled a muscle or strained your back weeks ago and only now are experiencing discomfort. Following a complete physical, imaging tests and medical history, your low back pain doctor finds the cause of your low back pain.

When your pain is persistent and worsens over time, you need relief as soon as possible. Common diseases that lead to the need for surgical back pain treatment include:

  • Damaged discs
  • Arthritis
  • Herniated disc
  • Slipped disc
  • Compressed nerve
  • Muscle sprains
  • Stenosis of the spine
  • Inflamed sacroiliac joint
  • Compression injury
  • Hunchback
  • Deformity
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Stress fractures

How Do I Get Rid of Lower Back Pain?

There are cases when low back pain dissipates and eventually disappears on its own. An internist or general practitioner may recommend:

  • Over-the-counter medications
  • Physical therapy
  • Core strengthening exercises
  • Prescription-strength pain medications
  • Cortisol injections

Your New Jersey spine surgeon at NU-Spine uses the latest technologies and techniques to provide you with the best chronic lower back pain treatment. He offers a wide array of surgical procedures to treat low back pain comprehensively and completely. As a leading physician for back pain, he recommends the one that’s most appropriate for your case. Visit any of our back pain management centers near you for the newest treatments.

Should I Relieve Lower Back Pain with Surgery?

Following extensive neurosurgeon training and decades of experience, Dr. Skovrlj has the expertise to decide the best way to relieve lower back pain. Successful outcomes are likely when you rely on him for low back pain relief surgical procedures, such as:

  • Laminectomy. By removing the lamina covering the back of your spinal canal, your NJ back surgeon can enlarge the canal to relieve the internal pressure.
  • Minimally invasive laminectomy. Especially useful for lumbar stenosis, this procedure reduces the impact on your body to the least amount possible.
  • Corpectomy. By removing a damaged vertebra and the nearby disc, your surgeon relieves pressure on your spinal cord. The material must be replaced with a bone graft and a small metal plate for stability.
  • Discectomy. Your Edison, NJ back doctor removes a portion of the vertebral disc that’s pinching a nerve.
  • Spinal fusion. By fusing together two of your vertebrae, your doctor can correct deformities and reduce pain.
  • Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). A modern version of spinal fusion, TLIF involves removing a disc and fusing the two adjacent vertebral bones.
  • Extreme lateral lumbar interbody fusion (XLIF/X-LIF). A minimally invasive technique, XLIF incorporates disc excision into the fusion process.
  • Lumbar foraminotomy. This spinal decompression procedure enlarges the area around your bones.
  • Hemilaminectomy. During this surgery, your back doctor removes several pieces of the lamina from your spinal column.
  • Microdiscectomy. Patients with a herniated lumbar disc benefit from this minimally invasive procedure for pinched nerves.
  • Lumbar decompression. Used for a wide range of lower back problems, this procedure is used to treat compressed nerves.
Start Your Path to Relief: Contact Us Today!
Spine Center Locations

1. Paramus
37 W Century Road Suite 105A
Paramus, NJ 07652

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3. Woodbridge
573 Amboy Ave.
Woodbridge Township,
NJ 07095

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5. Toms River
1901 Hooper Ave. #B
Toms River, NJ 08753

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2. Jersey City
631 Grand Street, Suite 2-100
Jersey City, NJ 07304

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4. Holmdel/Bell Works
101 Crawfords Corner Rd.
Suite 1116-B
Holmdel, NJ 07733

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6. Freehold
1000 West Main Street
Suite 201
Freehold, NJ 07728

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