BACK PAIN

What we treat

Back pain is one of the most common conditions in New Zealand and causes a poor quality of life for those who suffer from it. However, only a few causes of back pain require surgery.

We focus on diagnosing the underlying cause of your back pain. We do not just “treat your scan” as these rarely tell the whole story. We undertake a thorough history and comprehensive examination, including a full biomechanical assessment. You may also require radiological imaging to evaluate your condition further.

You can be confident that we take your back pain seriously and want you to achieve pain relief, reduction and cessation in the use of pain medication and improvement in your quality of life.

COMMON CAUSES OF BACK PAIN

OSTEOARTHRITIS AND PAIN FROM FACET JOINTS

Osteoarthritis is caused by the gradual wear and tear of joint cartilage in the facet joints of the spine. This is usually caused by instability and weakness of the supportive structures around your lumbar spine. Osteoarthritis can cause chronic lower back pain, stiffness and reduced movement.

DISC HERNIATION

Discs are the shock absorbers between two vertebrae and act as a cushion between the bones. Due to a twisting or lifting injury, or when these discs are damaged, they can bulge out of their space and cause nerve compression or impingement. This can cause excruciating pain, weakness and reduced sensation down the legs. Disc bulge, prolapse or herniation is usually a symptom of an underlying cause which needs to be treated effectively to minimise the chance of recurrence and progression to osteoarthritis.

SACROILIAC JOINT DYSFUNCTION

The sacroiliac joints are found where your pelvic bones meet your lower spine or sacrum. These joints are a common site of pain and dysfunction, particularly in women during or after pregnancy. Sacroiliac joint instability is often an overlooked cause for lumbar spine issues and lower back pain. We employ our regenerative medicine treatments to strengthen the important ligamentous structures whose role is to support and maintain the stability of the sacroiliac joints.

MUSCLE PAIN

Muscular issues relating to lower back pain are common as the muscles become overworked, inflamed and tired from taking on the role of stabilising the spine when joints, ligaments and discs are diseased or not functioning correctly.

DIAGNOSING YOUR BACK PAIN

What our traditional medical training doesn’t teach us is how pain and damage to joints occurs. We believe that most degenerative joint conditions begin with micro-injuries to the supporting ligaments around joints. These repeated micro-injuries to the ligaments then cause instability. Instability sets off a cascade of events which over time causes strain and activation of the back muscles, degeneration of cartilage in the joints, stress and dysfunction on the vertebral discs and inflammation of the surrounding nerves.

TREATING YOUR BACK PAIN

The treatment that best suits each patient depends on the nature of the problem. We specialise in diagnosing and treating your back pain

Prolotherapy treatments involve injecting a solution containing sugar or ozone to boost your body’s healing responses and create new, healthy tissues.
PRP therapy uses powerful cells harvested from the patient’s body to stimulate new cell growth and optimise the repair of damaged tissues that is used for some cases of Sacroiliac join pain
Image-guided Injections of Corticosteroid can result in good symptomatic relief in many cases while getting the rehabilitation program with your physical therapist, is another viable option.

Our focus is utilising our treatments and rehabilitation programs towards healing the root cause of your injury or condition without the need for surgery. We don’t believe in a quick fix, one-size fits all approach. Instead, we treat all the structures involved in your condition and enjoy working with our patients to achieve the best outcomes to help them return to normal function and a healthier lifestyle as quickly as possible.