Dr. Justin Kruer – Back Pain and Treatment Options

June 26, 2015

Dr. Justin Kruer of Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine talks about back pain on this week’s Beacon’s Corner.  Did you know that lower back pain has a big impact on our economy?  Or that seven out of ten people will experience sever back pain?  Did you know there are options available to reduce back pain and help you start feeling like yourself again?

According to research published by the Mayo Clinic, three of the top ten reasons people visit the doctor are joint pain and osteoarthritis, back problems, and neck pain.  The Centers for Disease Control publishes statistics on ambulatory care use and physician office visits.  They found that the musculoskeletal problems were among the top five reasons patients visited their primary care physician.

It is estimated that nearly 10% of the population of the United States is currently experiencing back pain.  Further, almost 70% of people will experience at least one episode of sever back pain at some point during their lives.  Preventative care like stretching, exercising regularly, using proper technique for activities like heavy lifting or golfing, and maintaining a healthy weight are important to avoid falling into that 70%.

The World Health Organization reports that lower back pain was the number one cause of disability and missed work in 2014. That means lower back pain was responsible for 149 lost work days and up to $100 billion lost in economic production.  If your career requires lifting, regular walking, or extended standing, a back injury can be devastating to your income potential.

Fortunately, there are preventative actions that can be taken to help reduce the likelihood of a spine-related injury.  Please don’t let yourself be one of these statistics.  However, in the unfortunate event that you do start to experience back pain, we offer many solutions and strategies to get you feeling good again quickly.  Many of these treatment options are non-surgical and involve therapy or injections.  For more severe cases, we do recommend some minimally invasive surgical treatments, but often those recommendations occur after the non-surgical treatments have been tried.

If you would you like a consultation with one of Beacon Orthopaedics’ fellowship trained and board certified spine care physicians, please call (513) 354-3700.