Find Relief from Back Pain in Southern California

Back pain is any type of discomfort on the back of your body between your neck and your tailbone. Chronic back pain feels dull or achy, building gradually and possibly lasting for months. Acute back pain is sharp, sudden, or stabbing back pain. 

If you’re dealing with back issues that don’t seem to go away, a doctor at Dignity Health Southern California can help you get to the root of the problem and discover relief from back pain. Find a Doctor online and explore your personalized treatment options for back pain in Southern California.

Common Symptoms with Back Pain

You may have pain in your lower, middle, or upper back accompanied by: 

• Redness, swelling, or warmth in the back
• Neck, hip, or shoulder pain
• Headache
• Stiffness
• Trouble moving
• Fatigue or difficulty sleeping
• Pain that runs through the buttocks and down one leg
• Anxiety
• Depression 

Visit an urgent care center for lower back pain with numbness or weakness in your legs or arms or loss of bladder or bowel control.

Through rare, back pain can be a sign of a life-threatening condition like a heart attack. Call 911 for back pain with difficulty breathing or jaw, chest, or abdominal pain.

Why Does My Back Hurt?

When you visit one of our orthopedic doctors at Dignity Health Southern California, they will determine the cause of your back pain. Common causes of back pain are problems with the structure of the spine, or muscles, ligaments, or nerves, including: 

• Arthritis, including spinal osteoarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis
• Disc problems like compression or bulging
• Muscle strain and spasms from overuse, injury, or sudden, forceful movements
• Osteoporosis and other conditions that affect the bones of the spine
• Spinal alignment problems, such as scoliosis

Diagnosing the Cause of Back Pain at Dignity Health Southern California

Your orthopedic doctor will consider the following to diagnose the cause of your back pain:

• Your symptoms
• Physical exam
• Medical history
• Recent physical activity
• Imaging tests, including X-ray, bone scan, and MRI

With or without a known cause, your doctor can create a personalized treatment plan to help you ease the pain. Basic at-home care, over-the-counter pain medicine, and back-strengthening exercises are usually effective options. If these nonsurgical treatments don’t work or stop working, surgery is sometimes an option.

Our orthopedic specialists at Dignity Health Southern California will ensure that you receive personal care for your back pain, finding relief and a treatment that works for you. 

Dignity Health provides a variety of treatment options to provide relief for patients with back pain in Southern California.