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Get Your Back on Track

Don’t let pain keep you from your favorite activities. Find out if it is time to talk to a doctor about your chronic back or neck pain.

Back and Neck Pain

Medical conditions such as arthritis or a traumatic injury could change the way your spinal column works, resulting in chronic pain in your back or neck. 

 

If you are experiencing chronic back or neck pain, our knowledgeable experts at Dignity Health offer several types of treatments that can restore function and relieve the pain associated with back and neck conditions.

Common Back and Neck Conditions

Damage to the back or neck can result from a range of conditions and low- to high-impact injuries, including:

  • degenerative spine disease such as spinal stenosis or osteoarthritis
  • fracture vertebrae
  • herniated discs
  • lower back pain
  • middle back pain
  • upper back pain
  • osteophyte (bone spur) formation
  • scoliosis
  • spinal tumors
  • spondylosis (arthritis of the spine)
  • traumatic injuries

Symptoms of Back and Neck Problems

Symptoms of back or neck problems often involve pain and varying degrees of nerve dysfunction. In general, a condition affecting the spine at any point, from the neck to the lower back, can cause signs and symptoms such as:

  • localized pain
  • numbness or tingling in your arms, hands, feet, or legs
  • complete loss of feeling in your arms, hands, feet, or legs
  • limited range of motion 
  • visible deformity of the spine (such as a hunched upper back)

Causes of Back Conditions

Factors such as aging, trauma, and underlying medical issues all can cause problems with your back and neck. Aging can make the spongy spinal discs stiff and brittle, leading to compression or collapse. Arthritis can cause bone spurs to develop between the vertebrae at any point along the spine. Trauma, such as a fall, can cause mild to severe fractures of one or more vertebrae.

Treatment of Back and Neck Issues

Treatment options for back and neck issues will depend on the cause and severity of your condition. In some cases, particularly those that include damage to the spinal cord, full recovery may not be possible. Other more common back and neck conditions respond to nonsurgical treatments such as physical therapy or medication.

For severe degenerative disease or fractures due to trauma, surgery is sometimes necessary to stabilize the spine and relieve pressure on the spinal cord.

Find a Doctor

Our team of experienced doctors is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care and treatment options to improve your quality of life.

Find a doctor at French Hospital Medical Center

 

Find a doctor at Marian Regional Medical Center

Is it time to talk to a doctor about your back or neck pain?

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Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery

Blue Shield of California has selected French Hospital Medical Center as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers® are nationally designated health care facilities that show a commitment to delivering high-quality patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.

America's 250 Best Hospitals

Marian Regional Medical Center has been named one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals for a third consecutive year (2021-2023), according to research released by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting doctors and patients. This achievement puts Marian in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance across the most common conditions and procedures. 

To learn more, visit  Healthgrades