Back Pain Treatment
Evaluation & treatment — diagnosis and treatment at Arthritis Care of Texas.
Back pain often comes from strained muscles, wear and tear in the spine, or irritation of the joints and nerves. Most back pain improves with staying active and simple treatments. We also look for causes that need specific treatment, such as inflammatory arthritis of the spine.
Most back pain is mechanical and improves; when it keeps returning, the goal is control: shorter, milder episodes and a back that supports the life you want. Success looks like returning to work, walking, and daily tasks with manageable discomfort — and knowing the difference between ordinary back pain and the inflammatory kind, which needs its own treatment.
Rheumatologists treat the entire neuromusculoskeletal system, but they are especially helpful in treating back pain. Our Corpus Christi rheumatologists do not target pain relief itself so much as they attempt to treat the underlying conditions responsible for pain. Instead of merely masking pain with over-the-counter or prescription medications, many patients who see a rheumatologist for back pain can achieve relief with simple spinal adjustments and lifestyle changes. Even the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research recommends that people with chronic back pain seek out conservative treatment options first, including safe and effective spinal manipulation.
Did you know… the leading cause of disability around the world is lower back pain? In the U.S. alone, an estimated 31 million people are suffering from some type of back pain — many of them chronically. Although inflammatory diseases and other conditions can be a source of back pain, the vast majority of symptoms are caused by mechanical discrepancies in the spine.
Should I see a Corpus Christi rheumatologist for my back pain?
Yes. Although not everyone is a candidate for rheumatologic treatment, those who are often find significant pain relief with ongoing treatment. Contact our rheumatology clinic today for more information or to schedule a consultation.
How will a rheumatologist treat my pain?
Your rheumatologist will first attempt to identify the cause of your pain — whether it is related to posture, weight, stress, or the result of a car accident or other injury. You may be advised to make certain modifications to your daily habits and to visit periodically for spinal manipulation, which is designed to relieve pain, muscle tightness, and joint immobility. Your treatment may persist for several weeks or months until your pain subsides.
What should I expect after treatment?
Most rheumatologist adjustments are not painful. However, it is normal to experience some mild to moderate soreness in the first one to two days following your treatment. Otherwise, you can return to your usual routine as soon as you leave the office.
Did you know?
- About 8 in 10 adults will have a memorable round of back pain at some point — it may be the most universal ache there is.
- You are measurably taller in the morning: overnight, the discs in your spine soak up fluid and plump back up, adding as much as half an inch by sunrise.
- Your 33 vertebrae are stacked with discs that work as shock absorbers — together they let you bend, twist, and lift while protecting the spinal cord.
Common worries
Is something seriously wrong with my spine?
Serious causes — fracture, infection, tumour, nerve compression — are uncommon, and part of the assessment is specifically screening for their warning signs. Their absence is genuinely reassuring; most back pain is from muscles, joints, and discs doing their job imperfectly, and it improves.
Why are you asking when the pain is worst and whether movement helps?
Because the answers separate mechanical pain (worse with load, better with rest) from inflammatory back pain (worse with rest and in the night, better with movement) — and inflammatory pain can be ankylosing spondylitis, which has specific, effective treatment. The questions are diagnostic tools.
Should I rest until it’s completely gone?
No — that was old advice. Staying gently active speeds recovery and prevents the weakness and stiffness that make the next episode worse. Pace heavy tasks, keep walking daily, and build back up gradually.
Related Neck pain · Ankylosing spondylitis (inflammatory back pain) · PRP therapy · Request an appointment
What counts as a flare: back pain clearly worse than usual for more than 2–3 days — especially pain that shoots below the knee, new leg weakness or numbness, or pain that is worst in the second half of the night and eases with movement (the inflammatory pattern).
What to do: stay as active as the pain allows — bed rest delays recovery — use heat and your agreed pain relief, and call us at (361) 400-7700 if it is not settling. Loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness in the saddle area, is an emergency the same day.
Do not adjust steroids on your own: do not start or increase steroid tablets for back pain without assessment — if your pain is inflammatory, there is a proper work-up and targeted treatment to discuss.
What isn’t a flare: stiffness after gardening that eases in a day, or morning achiness that clears within half an hour of moving. Note what triggers episodes; patterns guide prevention.
Ready to be seen? New patients are seen within 2–4 weeks.