Diagnosing Back Pain

Thank you to those who came out to our seminar "New Advances in Back Pain Treatment" tonight in Tulsa. We appreciate your questions and willingness to take part in your own health care.

One of the questions that came up tonight was how do we know what causes back pain. While there are many different causes of back pain, most can be lumped into to groups--pain involving either the soft tissues or bone.

Pain from soft tissues can be due to muscle problems (spasm, strain, etc), intervertebral disc problems (disc tears, herniations, etc) and nerves (compression, nerve irritation, etc). Bone problems are usually due to arthritis (spondylosis, facet arthritis, etc) or fracture (vertebral compression fractures, etc).

Sometimes back pain is causes by both soft tissue and bone problems. It's important to remember that back pain can be caused by referred pain. When pain occurs because of disease in one area, but feels like it is in another, this is called referred pain. For example, back pain can be caused by arthritis in the hip or pain from the internal organs of the pelvis and abdomen.

Since there are so many different causes of chronic back pain, it's important to see a qualified physician who is skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of back pain. Only by reviewing your history and physical examination can a physician accurately determine the cause of your pain. Even then it usually takes imaging studies (such as x-rays and MRI) to confirm before effective treatment can begin.

Thank You CMSA!

We would like to thank everyone the amazing turnout for the CMSA event at Los Cabos. This ended up being one of the largest turnouts for the chapter ever.

If you would like additional information we are here for you. If you would like to arrange a tour of our facility or have Dr. Webb present an inservice at your facility or organization, please email us at media@tulsamsk.com or call (918) 260-9322.

New Peer to Peer Talk Announced

Dr. Webb will be presenting another informative peer to peer presentation titled "Advances in VCF Management" to a group of practitioners in south Tulsa on March 3rd, 2008. Topics will include VCF recognition, management and treatment options.

CMSA Meeting

We have just confirmed that we will be presenting a seminar with the Case Mangers Society of America, Eastern Oklahoma chapter on February 28th, 2008. Titled "Advances is Vertebral Compression Fracture Care", we will focus on the various treatment options for VCFs.

CEU credit for case managers is pending, so check back here for updates. We will let you know as soon as we receive official approval.