Emergency Chiropractor & Urgent Care Near You in Portland

Understanding Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most frequent medical issues that patients face all over the country. While most back injuries recover on their own within a few weeks, some cases of back pain may signify a dangerous condition that necessitates immediate medical attention. However, emergency rooms are often costly and include long wait times while you are in pain. If you cannot wait to go to your doctor, you can go to an urgent care to help you with your pain. First, let's answer all of your questions to determine so you can determine the best course of action. As back pain is common, urgent care can help you to cope with the symptoms and offers solutions to help you get back to feeling better.  

Should you go to urgent care for back pain?

Back discomfort, lower specifically, is the second most prevalent reason for a doctor's visit in the United States. It's a problem that affects not only athletes but also anyone who has bad posture or does a lot of physical activities like gardening or cleaning. Patients between the ages of 20 and 40 are the most typically impacted.

For these reasons going to urgent care for help back pain, especially when you cannot wait to see your primary care physician with an appointment. Waiting in an emergency room does not work for people with back pain either, as the chairs alone can worsen the problem, not to mention spending hours waiting. Emergency rooms do not offer first-come, first-serve to patients; they operate by who has the highest level of threat to life or limb.

Back pain can sometimes be a threat to life or limb but usually starts from trauma or exercise. If these do not apply to you, then urgent care works best. Not only will you not have to wait as long, but you can start to feel better sooner. Also, urgent care often costs a fraction of the price in emergency rooms. Lastly, urgent care often has the necessary medical equipment to determine any issue to help you feel better quickly.

How do I know if back pain is serious?

In some circumstances, back pain develops due to an injury, necessitating medical intervention to care for the spine. Other symptoms may appear, indicating that the back pain is not a one-time occurrence and is linked to other illnesses or ailments. Alternatively, it could be one time and still require immediate help. If you experience any of the following issues, seek help as soon as possible.

Sudden onset incontinence and back pain require medical attention as this could be a kidney stone or something more serious. Leg weakness with back pain could be related to the spine or sciatica and needs attention to reduce the risk of worsening the symptoms. Another symptom to look for is abdominal pain and back pain, as this may indicate an issue with several critical organs.

Next, if the pain makes it difficult to move or it's debilitating, then you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. Sharp shooting pain must be seen by a doctor, too, as this could indicate a serious problem. Finally, numbness or tingling in the arms, legs, or other problems should be seen, too, as this could imply a neurological issue.

Symptoms of Serious Back Pain:

• Persistent Pain: Pain that lasts for more than a few weeks, doesn't improve with rest, or worsens over time is a concerning symptom.
• Radiating Pain: Pain that radiates from the back to the legs or arms may indicate nerve compression, such as in sciatica or radiculopathy.
• Muscle Weakness: Weakness in the legs, arms, or other areas can be a sign of nerve involvement or spinal cord compression.
• Numbness and Tingling: Sensations of numbness, tingling, or "pins and needles" in the back, buttocks, or limbs can suggest nerve irritation or damage.
• Limited Range of Motion: Difficulty moving the back or experiencing stiffness that restricts normal movement is a common symptom.
• Pain Aggravated by Specific Movements: Certain movements or positions, such as bending, lifting, or twisting, may exacerbate the pain.
• Pain at Night: Back pain that interferes with sleep and is not relieved by changing positions can be a sign of a more serious issue.
• Bowel or Bladder Dysfunction: Loss of bowel or bladder control, especially in conjunction with back pain, may indicate spinal cord compression and requires immediate medical attention.
• Unexplained Weight Loss: Back pain accompanied by unexplained weight loss may be associated with underlying medical conditions like cancer.

When does back pain become urgent?

Back pain becomes urgent when it prevents you from your daily life. Some back pain does not require medical attention as it could arise from poor posture or too much exercise. However, urgent back pain includes the symptoms listed above or pains bad enough that it makes it difficult for you to live comfortably. If you have trouble sleeping, walking, or moving because of back pain, then the pain is urgent.

It can be difficult to distinguish between acute and chronic back pain, but the most important factor is the timing. A shooting, burning, or aching pain that comes on suddenly is the most prevalent sign of acute back pain. Acute pain can be relieved rapidly – in as little as two weeks – with a little time and at-home therapies, including over-the-counter pain relievers, cold and heat therapy. However, symptoms might appear suddenly or gradually with chronic back pain, but they must stay more than six weeks or be recurrent.

It is critical to understand that the first step is to avoid sitting or standing for extended periods. You can also try taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatories for discomfort and applying cold or heat to the hurting area if necessary. These home remedies will relieve any inflammation in your muscles or joints that is giving you pain.

What is the most common type of back pain?

Back pain can be caused by various accidents, ailments, or diseases, the most common of which is a back muscle or tendon injury. The intensity of pain varies from mild to severe. Common back pain includes stiffness, where your muscles become harder to move or to straighten. Next, posture problems are very common and may make you look bent over and cause discomfort. Muscle spasms are common too, which is where the muscles of the lower back contract without any control, and these are highly uncomfortable. Finally, radicular back pain refers to disc degeneration and can pinch a nerve leaving someone in major discomfort.

What are major causes of back pain?

Back pain frequently occurs without a known reason that your doctor can determine through a test or imaging study. Back discomfort is usually associated with strains, sprains, bulging or ruptured discs, arthritis, and osteoporosis. While all of these can cause extreme back pain, usually major causes for back pain stems from trauma such as an accident, sports, exercise, or a fall.  

How do you know if back pain is muscular or spinal?

Muscular back pain involves discomfort with movement as the muscles tighten and are usually localized. The pain can be dull, aching, or sharp. Sometimes the pain persists even at rest but will relax with rest eventually. Spinal pain happens at rest and with movement. Often the pain radiates and creates weakness. The pain can be dull, sharp, or achy and feel like electric pain and usually comes from arthritis or injury.

What is acute back pain?

Acute back pain refers to pain that lasts for at least four weeks. Subacute pain lasts from four to twelve weeks, while chronic pain lasts longer than twelve weeks. Essentially, acute pain refers to short-term pain often caused by injury or exercise. Strains or sprains of the soft tissues in the back, such as the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, are typical causes of acute back pain. This might happen when lifting a big object, especially if your posture is poor. In addition, muscle spasms often cause acute back discomfort.

Minor cases of acute back pain usually go away on their own. Rest is recommended for patients, but only for a day or two. A prolonged period of bed rest might exacerbate acute back pain. Your doctor may instead prescribe a pain reliever to help you endure movement. Working with a physical therapist to stretch tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles may also be recommended. Heat and cold therapy, as well as chiropractic care, can provide quick relief.  

What is chronic back pain?

Chronic back pain refers to ongoing back pain that does not disappear after three months. The spine and the structures that support it are highly complicated. A variety of issues that impact these structures might cause chronic back discomfort. Because of the risk of physical reliance and tolerance, most oral pain relievers are not meant for long-term usage. Instead, a mix of treatments may be used to alleviate chronic back pain.

How does urgent care treat back pain?

Some urgent cares simply offer pain relief along with same-day or walk-in appointments. However, great urgent care offers an entire relief team to work with various issues such as accident injury, chronic pain, poor posture, and more. In addition, urgent care can help with soft tissue injuries such as back tightness, pinching, and spasms. They can also help with nerve injuries such as sciatica, bulging or herniated disks, and much more.

Portland Urgent Care employs a systematic approach to diagnose back pain effectively. Here are the steps typically involved in the diagnostic process:

• Medical History: The healthcare provider will begin by taking a detailed medical history, asking about the onset of symptoms, their duration, and any relevant medical conditions or previous injuries.
• Physical Examination: A thorough physical examination is conducted to assess the range of motion, muscle strength, reflexes, and areas of tenderness or pain.
• Imaging Studies: In many cases, imaging studies such as X-rays, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), or CT (Computed Tomography) scans may be ordered to visualize the spine and identify structural abnormalities or injuries.
• Nerve Function Tests: Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies may be conducted to assess nerve function and identify nerve compression or damage.
• Specialized Consultations: In complex cases, the healthcare provider may refer the patient to a specialist, such as a neurologist or orthopedic surgeon, for further evaluation and consultation.

Why choose Portland Urgent Care for back pain treatment?

Back injuries are treated and managed in various ways at Portland Urgent Care. Soft tissue and nerve injuries can be treated with the expertise of a specialized back pain relief team with same-day and walk-in appointments. In addition, we collaborate with many insurance companies and PIP to provide faster service to more people. We can better serve you by integrating the use of integrated medical resources, which include both western and eastern medical healthcare. Our chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, and massage therapists can help you find relief. Furthermore, we will create a treatment plan for each patient tailored to their specific needs. Portland Urgent Care has the resources you need to address your back problems and relieve your suffering.