Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most common reasons people in Blue Springs and across Kansas City book a visit, and most of it is treatable without surgery. At Core Medical Center, a physician-led, integrated clinic, your back is evaluated by a provider who finds the source of the pain and builds a plan around it.

In short: back pain usually comes from a strained muscle, an irritated disc or wear in the spine, and most cases respond to conservative, physician-directed care such as chiropractic care, physical therapy and a structured chronic back pain program.

What Back Pain Is

Back pain is any discomfort along the spine, from the base of the neck to the tailbone, though it most often settles in the lower back where the body carries the most load. It can be acute, flaring up after a single lift or awkward movement, or chronic, lingering for weeks or returning again and again. Because the back connects nerves, discs, joints and muscle, pain in one area can point to a problem somewhere else, which is why an in-person evaluation matters more than guessing.

Common Causes

Back pain rarely has a single trigger, but at our Blue Springs clinic we most often trace it to:

• Muscle or ligament strain from lifting, twisting, repetitive motion or poor posture
• Disc problems, including a bulging or herniated disc that presses on nearby nerves
• Degenerative changes and arthritis that develop in the spine over time
• Work, auto or sports injuries that overload the back in a single event

Pinning down which of these is driving your pain is the first job of your provider, because the right treatment for a strained muscle is very different from the right treatment for a disc problem.

Symptoms

Back pain shows up differently from person to person. The patterns we hear most often include:

• Aching, stiffness or sharp pain across the lower or mid back
• Pain that worsens with bending, lifting, sitting or standing too long
• Muscle tightness or spasms along the spine
• Pain that radiates into the hip, buttock or leg, which can signal nerve involvement and sometimes overlaps with sciatica

If pain travels down the leg, follows an injury, or comes with numbness or weakness, that is a sign to be evaluated sooner rather than later.

Treatment Options

Most back pain at Core Medical Center is managed with conservative, nonsurgical care, coordinated under one roof so your plan stays connected from the first visit. Depending on what your provider finds, your care may include:

• Chiropractic care to restore movement and relieve pressure on irritated joints and nerves
• Physical therapy to rebuild strength, stability and flexibility so the pain does not keep returning
• Our Chronic Back Pain Program for back pain that has lasted weeks or months and needs a structured, longer-term plan

Because we are an integrated clinic, your medical, chiropractic and physical therapy teams share the same building and the same plan. Dr. Patrick Goldsworthy, DC, leads chiropractic care here, and your treatment is coordinated with our wider team so the people working on your back are working from the same playbook.

Why Core Medical Center

We are a physician-led clinic, which means a real evaluation comes first and your treatment follows the findings, not a one-size-fits-all routine. As a “chiropractor” and “pain control clinic” with medical, therapy and rehabilitation teams under one roof, we can adjust your plan as you progress without sending you across town. Our Blue Springs office sits minutes from Saint Luke’s East Hospital and Centerpoint Medical Center, and we also see patients at our Overland Park, KS location for the Kansas side of the metro.

When to Seek Care

See a provider for back pain that lasts more than a week or two, keeps coming back, follows a fall or accident, or comes with numbness, tingling, weakness or pain that radiates down a leg. Getting evaluated early often means a shorter, simpler path back to normal.

Same-week appointments are typically available at our Blue Springs clinic. If back pain is slowing you down, book online and our team will help match you with the right provider so you can get moving again.