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 Today, it is believed that 40-50 million Americans live with chronic spine pain. For those who suffer from occasional back pain, "chronic" may be a confusing term. By definition, any pain that lasts more than 3 months following an injury, surgery or other trauma to the back or spine is considered chronic. In some cases, chronic pain may also accompany progressive diseases like arthritis, diabetes and cancer, often making it difficult to diagnose or treat successfully. Getting an accurate diagnosis - identifying the true source of spine-related pain - is the key to successful treatment. More often than not, the real structural source of pain doesn't show up on standard X-ray, CT or MRI imaging. These types of imaging tests often show significant abnormalities in people who have no pain. Even in patients who have pain, these tests are rarely accurate in demonstrating exactly what structure causes pain. If the cause of pain is not readily apparent through standard methods of diagnosis (like imaging, physical examination, etc.), it takes additional and specialized testing to accurately identify the source of spine pain. Because of these issues, an evidence-based diagnostic and treatment program is extremely important. A single imaging test of a patient's spine is rarely going to reveal the source of chronic pain; much like a single picture of a car engine isn't going to show a mechanic why a car isn't running properly. It takes careful, step-by-step testing and an expert who truly understands the different diagnostic methods to be able to accurately identify the true source of spine-related pain. Simply stated, accurate diagnosis by a knowledgeable physician leads to effective and successful treatment. At Bellingham Spine Pain Specialists, our staff, led by Way Yin, M.D., brings extensive knowledge, experience and leadership to this field, resulting in the best clinical outcomes possible. |
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