UT Southwestern Medical Center provides expert, compassionate care for patients with all types of back pain, including cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back) and lumbar (low-back) pain. Those with conditions such as herniated discs, pinched nerves, sciatica, scoliosis and spinal stenosis are also treated. Our Back Pain Program has enabled patients to successfully reduce or eliminate pain, increase flexibility and mobility, and improve quality of life.

After a comprehensive evaluation, a UT Southwestern back pain specialist thoroughly explains the patient’s diagnosis and treatment options. In addition, our specialists counsel patients about the actions they can take to reduce pain, including physical therapy, behavioral therapy and lifestyle changes.

Our back pain specialists utilize an array of highly advanced minimally invasive procedures to treat back pain, including:

• Diagnostic discography, which is used to determine which spinal discs are the source of the pain or whether a disc is abnormal. A contrast dye is injected to help diagnose disc problems and decide whether surgery is needed.
  
  
• Epidural injections, in which a cortisone medication is injected into the epidural space in the spine, which provides significant pain relief and may enable patients to avoid or delay surgery.
  
  
• Facet blocks, in which a cortisone medication is injected into the affected facet joint area, enabling patients to experience pain relief lasting from days to months.
  
  
• Percutaneous discectomy, in which surgeons remove herniated disc material that is causing pain by pressing on a nerve or the spinal cord. The procedure can diminish pain in days or weeks.
  
  
• Radiofrequency lesioning, in which an electrical current is used to heat the surrounding tissue. The result is that pain signals traveling to the brain are interrupted, resulting in pain reduction.
  
  
• Selective nerve root blocks, in which an anti-inflammatory medication is injected. The procedure provides significant pain relief to irritated nerve roots and may enable patients to avoid or delay surgery to repair a herniated disc.
  
  
• Spinal cord stimulation, in which a device is implanted under the skin that can be used to send mild electrical currents to the spinal cord. Patients experience a dramatic reduction in their pain.
  
  
• Vertebroplasty, in which a stabilizing material is injected to repair a vertebral fracture or alleviate the pain of osteoporosis, providing significant or complete elimination of back pain. This procedure allows many patients to discontinue use of their pain medication and regain normal function.

Patients with back pain can also be treated by our spine service.