Low Back Injury Treatment

Understanding Low Back Injury

Low Back Injury is something our North Carolina team sees often — this overview covers the essentials, grounded in the medical literature.

Common signs and symptoms

• Lower back pain and aching
• Sciatica-like leg pain
• Muscle tightness and spasms
• Pain worsening with sitting

Typical causes

• Herniated lumbar disc
• Muscle strain from lifting
• Spinal stenosis
• Degenerative disc disease

The evidence at a glance

For most acute non-specific low back pain, guidelines recommend staying active and using first-line conservative care rather than early imaging or bed rest. ^[1]

Exercise therapy is among the better-supported approaches for preventing recurrence of low back pain. ^[2]

Treatment options to consider

• Lumbar epidural injections
• Physical therapy core strengthening
• Microdiscectomy surgery
• Radiofrequency ablation

Next steps with Apex Orthopedics & Spine

After an injury or accident, a North Carolina clinical evaluation helps identify the cause and guide care.

References

Chou R, Côté P, Randhawa K, et al. The Global Spine Care Initiative: applying evidence-based guidelines on the non-invasive management of back and neck pain to low- and middle-income communities. European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society. 2018. (Review) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29460009/

Pocovi NC, Lin CC, French SD, et al. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an individualised, progressive walking and education intervention for the prevention of low back pain recurrence in Australia (WalkBack): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet (London, England). 2024. (Randomized Controlled Trial) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38908392/

This information is for general education only and is not medical advice. It does not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare provider.