It seems like the pain will never end. 

A refreshing night’s sleep is just a dream thanks to your back pain. Even during your workday, the ache continues, making it difficult to concentrate on anything. 

Chronic back pain occurs when you experience spinal pain consistently for 12 weeks or longer.  According to the National Institute of Health, about 20 percent of those with acute (short-term) low back pain eventually go on to develop chronic (long-term) back pain. 

But does the solution always require surgery? The answer may surprise you. In fact, there are several ways that our specialized orthopedic doctors in Horry County can help relieve your chronic back pain.

We’ll take a look where you can get nonsurgical relief for chronic back pain, as well as some of the common causes of these conditions. We’ll also examine some of our innovative approaches to pain management at Conway Medical Center.

Non-surgical Relief from Chronic Back Pain

We take a conservative approach to medicine. This means that we will treat your pain with non-surgical methods before determining if surgery is the only alternative. 

Some examples of non-surgical relief for chronic back pain include:

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy and rehabilitation can strengthen your back through correcting/improving your posture, strengthening your core and increasing your flexibility. Typically, these are done through exercises—but these have to be carefully crafted by your physical therapist to meet your specific needs and address your individual problems. 

Meditation

You may be surprised how much mindfulness and meditation can help you. 

Yoga, tai chi, and other relaxation practices can help ease the psychological distress that often results from chronic pain. 

Research is still ongoing on the connection between meditation/mindfulness and pain relief. 

Injections

Steroid injections, nerve blocks and other similar treatments can go a long way toward helping relieve your chronic back pain. While these aren’t intended as long-term solutions, our spine spets near you use them to help you get back to everyday activities without pain. 

Nutrition

If your chronic back pain is due to inflammation, particularly if you eat a lot of sugar and processed foods, you should speak with your doctor to see if you can benefit from a nutritionist. These professionals can outline an effective eating plan to help you make healthy choices you need without sacrificing the flavor you enjoy. 

Weight Loss

While weight loss may not completely relieve your chronic back pain, it can help. If you have extra weight, it puts additional strain on your spine, which can make your back pain even worse. 

Common Sources of Chronic Back Pain

Causes That Aren’t Related to Diseases

Sometimes, simple adjustments can go a long way toward alleviating your discomfort. This is because chronic back pain isn’t always due to a disease. If you continually lift objects that are very heavy, wear a poorly fitted backpack or even sleep in a bad position, you could develop back pain. 

In cases such as these, we can help you make the minor changes that will create a big difference.

Injuries

Sprains and strains are often culprits when it comes to back pain. Sprains are ligaments that have been torn or overstretched. Strains are tears in the tendon or the muscle. Injuries also can result from contact sports, car accidents or falls. 

Causes Related to Diseases

Disc Degeneration 

Your spine has discs that “cushion” it, and over time, these discs can wear down. It’s usually due to the natural process of aging, and it affects millions of Americans every year. 

Spondylosis

This is due to the regular “wear and tear” of the spine throughout a lifetime. It occurs in the discs, joints and bones as people age.

Arthritis

Arthritis of the spine, or other inflammatory diseases can cause extensive pain. 

Nerve Compression

Issues such as sciatica (pressure on the sciatic nerve) or stenosis (the narrowing of the spinal column) can place pressure on various nerves throughout your spine. The result may be a burning or shock-like pain. 

If You Need Back Surgery, Our Nationally Recognized Orthopedic Surgeons Near You Are Ready to Help

When it comes to treating back pain, we will try all nonsurgical methods of relief before surgery is considered. However, there are cases where surgery is warranted.

And if that’s the case, you’re in good hands.

Our orthopedic services are ranked #1 in the state by CareChex, an organization that monitors health care quality. Our spinal surgery services are ranked in the top 100 in the United States, and our spinal surgery and spinal fusion services are ranked the #1 hospital in the market. 

With leaders in spinal surgery, our spine center offers effective and safe methods to treat and manage your back pain. 

The result? You can return to the life you love.

You don’t have to live with chronic back pain. We’ll show you how. Contact us by requesting an appointment.

CMC Pain Management Center offers alternatives to opioids

The following was originally published by Waccamaw Publishers

When Dr. Farayi Mbuvah moved to the United States from his native Zimbabwe a decade ago, he was surprised to see how many people in the U.S. were prescribed opioids for chronic pain. 

It wasn’t like his home country didn’t have people suffering from the same chronic conditions, but he was floored that opioids seemed to be the default treatment here.  What he saw was a cycle of dependence that led to addiction. 

 “[Opioids] were not really helping patients the way they thought they would,” he said. “So I decided when I went into anesthesia that I wanted to help people’s pain during surgery, but I wanted to continue to help them beyond just the operating room.”

That led to his focus on non-opioid treatments for chronic pain. Mbuvah helped Conway Medical Center open the CMC Pain Management Center in Myrtle Beach.  Mbuvah works with patients to navigate the complexities of pain and find treatments to help people work and play, even improve their sleep — usually through minimally invasive interventions.

So what types of treatments are offered at the CMC Pain Management Center?

Mbuvah uses a variety of options. There are:

• Nerve blocks and trigger point injections 
• Botox for chronic migraines
• Lidocaine/Ketamine infusions for neuropathic pain

He frequently performs knee injections for arthritis, and he offers epidural steroid injections for bulging discs or pinched nerves. 

“Offering an alternative with a lot of cutting edge, FDA-approved, evidence-based injections, and therapy, I think, is the way to go right now,” Mbuvah said. “And that’s what I offer my patients.”

Mbuvah is familiar with the Grand Strand. He worked in a local private clinic for three years before joining CMC, and he saw firsthand the devastation caused by the opioid crisis.  

“A lot of [patients] are not doing too great on opioids,” he said. “Their families are broken down. They’re not working the way they used to. Even if they wanted to feel better, just the amount of opioids they were on was just shocking.”

Now in his treatment, conservative opioids are a last resort, not the first choice for chronic pain. And that’s why he’s glad to be able to offer a broad array of options to patients. 

 “These people need an alternative,” he said. “People need help with chronic pain. … But we need something safer.”

The CMC Pain Management Center is located at 811 82nd Parkway, Suite B. For more details about the center, call 843-839-4598.