Complications of Untreated Back Pain

You develop back pain, and you ignore the problem, hoping it will pass on its own. The days turn into weeks, and the weeks into months, and your physical and mental health begin to deteriorate. The complications that stem from untreated back pain are serious and life-altering, which is why this is one problem you should never ignore.

Our team here at Advanced Spine Care and Pain Management specializes in back pain, and we understand, better than most, why early intervention is key.

To give you an idea about some of the many risks you take when you don’t treat your back pain, we outline some of the more common ones here.

Making matters worse

As with most health issues, when you’re dealing with back pain, it’s important to seek treatment at the first signs of trouble to avoid larger issues down the road. In many cases, what begins as a small problem can quickly snowball into something much larger without treatment.

For example, if you have degenerative disc disease (DDD), and you’re beginning to feel pain, this is a clear sign that’s something wrong. A condition like DDD is progressive and will only get worse, putting you at greater risk for developing herniated discs, arthritis, and other painful conditions.

By addressing the problem immediately, we can provide you with the tools you need to slow the progression of your DDD and strengthen your back.

Back pain and your mental health

The link between chronic pain and mental health issues is very real, especially when it comes to anxiety and depression. For example, one study found that more than 60% of participants who suffered from chronic pain had symptoms of depression. Another study found that the incidence of anxiety among participants who have chronic pain to be nearly 55%.

We could cite study after study, but for the sake of brevity, we want to assure you that dealing with pain on a daily basis can exact a heavy toll on your mental health.

Back pain can take on a life of its own

When you have back pain, it’s a side effect of an underlying problem, such as arthritis, making it a secondary condition. If your back pain goes untreated, however, you run the risk of that symptom — pain — taking on a life of its own and becoming more of a primary condition.

This area of pain management is complicated, but we often find that untreated back pain is harder to manage since the pain has been allowed to continue for longer, creating its own pathology.

Back pain and your physical health

When your back is in pain, you’re less likely to be active, which can greatly affect your physical health. This lack of exercise can put you at a much higher risk for some very serious problems, such as:

• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Arthritis
• Obesity

By having us treat or manage your back pain, you can get back to your more active lifestyle and avoid these life-threatening health issues.

The bottom line is that untreated back pain can have a serious impact on your physical, mental, and emotional health. If you want to take charge of your health, contact one of our two offices in Staten Island or Hartsdale, New York, to get on the road to relief from your back pain.