Emerald Coast Pain Blog

Low Back Pain or LBP is probably the most common complaint in our society. Some say that over 50% of all people will have some degree of severe LBP at some point in their lives. Most of these cases resolve on their own but a small group of around 5 to 10% develop chronic pain or pain so severe that it requires surgery. The most common reason for LBP is discogenic issues. The discs are the small cushions between the bones and they degenerate with time and cause severe and deep achy type pain. A less common reason is facet joint pain which occurs more in the older population. Of course, a certain group of people have a combination of the two issues. Discogenic LBP is commonly described as a stiffness and deep ache that continues all day long while facet joint pain tends to be worst in the mornings and evenings but improves with motion during the day. Usually MRI’s are used to determine the degree of disc and joint issues. Injections such as facet joint injections or discograms can be helpful in also determining the exact cause of the pain as well. Treatment varies significantly and should always start with conservative therapies such as physical therapy or minor injections and medications. Surgery should always be a last resort. At MicroSpine, we offer minimally invasive spinal surgeries for facet syndrome and discogenic low back pain. Our facet surgery and endoscopic discectomy surgeries are performed through incisions less than one inch and offer permanent relief for around 70% of patients.