A spinal specialist based in Texas, Anil Kumar Kesani, MD, has been treating various spinal conditions, including lumbago or lower back pain, for years. In caring for his patients, Dr. Anil Kesani who practices at SpineMD first focuses on nonoperative or noninvasive treatment options and if surgery is needed then minimally invasive treatment options if possible.
An area where these options are often preferred is in the treatment of lumbago or lower back pain. Here are a few of the typical questions people have about this common condition.
Q: What are the causes of low back pain?
A: Often there are several causes. Proximate causes can include any injuries, degenerative changes or arthritis of various parts of the spine, tumors, instability or imbalance of the spine itself and associated tissues, and this can be aggravated by poor posture, stress, poor diet, and lifestyle factors.
Q: What are the treatment options?
A: Since the causes are so varied, the treatment options can vary widely as well. Treatments may include medications, physical therapy, injections, and more rarely surgery.
Q: Can I expect it to get better?
A: Generally speaking, most cases of low back pain have good outcomes with an appropriate treatment plan. If the condition is tied to poor habits, it can return or remain as long as those habits are present.
Please check out Dr. Kesani’s YouTube video below for further information.
Dr. Anil Kesani explains that lumbar spinal stenosis is caused by the narrowing of the spinal canal around the lower back region or within the lumbar spine, which results in compression of the nerve traveling through the back to the legs.
Certified by the American Board of Orthopedic surgery, Anil Kumar Kesani MD completed his spine surgery fellowship at the University of Western Ontario – Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Anil Kesani is the founder of SpineMD and is experienced in both operative and non-operative treatment for cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine problems.
Please visit our SpineMD YouTube channel here for further information on various neck, back and spine topics where Dr. Kesani has produced a number of informative videos.
Causes
Lumbar spinal stenosis or lumbar spinal narrowing is more often seen in people 60 years and older. However, lumbar spinal stenosis may affect younger people, especially if they are born with smaller than normal spinal canals or congenital stenosis. Other predisposing causes for younger people to develop lumbar spinal stenosis are unstable spinal slips or spondylolisthesis as well as extremely large disc herniations or slipped discs.
Narrowing of the spinal canal usually occurs slowly in the body over many years or even decades. This happens because the disc becomes less spongy with age, causing a reduction in disc height, leading to bulging of the disc, which may extend into the spinal canal. This combined with arthritis within the spine causing bone spurs can lead to the nerves being pinched due to the compression. Superimposed inflammation of the compressed or pinched nerves can cause an increased level of nerve related pain.
Symptoms
Pinched nerves in lumbar spinal stenosis typically cause pain, numbness, or weakness in the legs, buttocks, or calves. It also may result in cramping in the calves while walking (referred to as neurogenic claudication), which results in the need for short rests periodically while walking some distance.
Treatment
Treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis typically consists of nonoperative or nonsurgical treatment including physical therapy, medications such as anti inflammatories and if the pain is persistent then epidural injections. If patients continue to have bothersome and debilitating symptoms despite this then patients can consider surgical treatment in the form of a direct or indirect decompression such as laminectomies or interbody fusions.
Prior to founding the Texas orthopedic clinic SpineMD, Anil Kesani, MD, spent several years as a spine surgeon caring for patients in Illinois. Dr. Anil Kesani also shares his expertise through his YouTube channel – see here. In his video discussing back pain, he mentions the use of spinal injections in the treatment process.
Spinal injections have both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. They are often used in combination with other therapies including physical therapy and strengthening exercises.
Three commonly used injections include:
Selective nerve root injection: The spinal cord sends 62 nerve roots through the 31 vertebrae. When these nerves become damaged or compressed, it can cause numbness and pain in the legs or arms. Injections near the nerve root can help determine which nerve root pair is causing the problem.
Epidural injection: These injections are administered to numb pain that originates from a pinched spinal nerve and radiates to the upper or lower limbs. Epidural injections channel medicine such as steroids and local injections into the epidural space that is adjacent to the nerve causing the pain and thereby reduces the pain.
Provocation discography: This diagnostic procedure is usually performed as a precursor to spinal surgery in particular spinal fusion for discogenic neck pain or discogenic back pain. During a discography, fluid is injected into the center of the intervertebral discs that separate each vertebra. Since the liquid creates pressure, it can help localize the source of spinal pain.
At SpineMD, our physicians and staff are passionate about treating patients with spine problems. We enjoy the challenge of accurately diagnosing patients enabling us to render the appropriate treatment.
Our highly trained and experienced providers specialize in the treatment of all types of spine problems including back pain, neck pain, slipped or herniated disc disease, disc degeneration, pinched nerves, and many more conditions, Back Pain Specialist Fort Worth, Texas.
Our physicians are experts in the latest nonsurgical and surgical care including minimally invasive spine surgery and disc replacements, among others. At SpineMD, what makes us stand out is our caring philosophy of being very conservative with our treatment approach; we reserve surgical treatment as a last resort and only consider surgery if all other nonoperative treatments have failed. Please come visit our spine doctors “Dr. Anil Kesani Spine Surgeon” for a thorough systematic evaluation of your spine problem. We look forward to seeing you!
We serve patients from North Richland Hills and the surrounding areas including Dallas, Keller, Watauga, Bedford, Haltom City, Blue Mound, Saginaw, Haslet, River Oaks, Fort Worth, Colleyville, Euless, Hurst, Roanoke, Southlake, Trophy Club, Westlake, Grapevine, Flower Mound, Irving, and Arlington.
Anil Kesani MD discussing issues related to neck back and spine problems
