Do You Have Sports-Related Back Pain? Know When to Call a Doctor

Playing sports is always going to increase your risk of injury. How do you know when pain from participating in physical activity is going to go away on its own and when it needs professional care? We review that information here.

Exercise plays an integral part in any healthy lifestyle. One way you can stay active is by participating in sports activities. However, no matter what capacity you decide to play sports in, you always run the risk of injury, and back injuries are among some of the most common, making up 20% of sports-related injuries.

While many times back pain and back injuries that result from playing sports can often resolve on their own — within a time span of about three months — it’s always possible that they will require professional medical care.

At Sports, Pain and Regenerative Institute located in Fairview and Montclair, New Jersey, Aditya Patel, MD and the rest of our expert team understand that back pain is common in sports. Because of this, we want you to know what signs to look out for that may be pointing to the fact that it’s time to see the doctor for your back pain.

Common sports-related back injuries

While the types of injuries that you can incur vary depending on the type of sport you play, these are typically the ones that pop up most often:

Lower back strains and sprains

These types of injuries occur when you put too much strain on your back. This can happen when you lift too much weight in the gym or don’t use proper technique when you’re lifting. It can also happen when you use repetitive motions like when you’re running or playing golf.

Stress fractures

Stress fractures happen when there’s a crack in the rear portion of your spinal column. These are able to develop through repetitive extension movements done in sports like gymnastics, swimming, and volleyball.

These injuries can be treated through fairly mild treatments like rest and over-the-counter pain medications.

When to see a doctor for your sports-related back pain

If you’re in pain after an intense week of playing sports, you might be wondering if you can treat it on your own at home or if you should seek care from our team at Sports, Pain and Regenerative Institute. Here’s some red flags to look out for that mean it’s time to seek medical care:

Your pain keeps getting worse
Your pain radiates down your legs and causes weakness
Your pain makes it difficult to walk
You have bladder or bowel changes

You should also seek care if your pain lasts for longer than two months.

At Sports, Pain and Regenerative Institute, Dr. Patel and our team use a variety of methods in order to treat back pain and injuries including physical therapy, different types of injections, and nerve blockers.

If you actively participate in sports and have been struggling with back pain, don’t wait to come see our team for proper treatment. To set up an appointment, you can give us a call at 201-402-7802 or you can use our online scheduler today.