Diagnosing Middle Lower Back Pain - 2 Tests You May Have to Take
Hurting from middle lower back pain? You can always pop a pain reliever or two-but keep in mind pain relievers only numb the pain for a moment, they don't take it away.
If you want to get rid of back pains for good, find out what causes it.
Then, and only then, can you remedy the problem.
But, how exactly do doctors diagnose the cause of your middle lower back pain? Often, doctors use a rubber hammer to test your reflexes.
But, if your doctor has reasons to suspect there are more serious reasons behind your middle lower back pain, he may ask you to undergo some medical procedures.
Here are three medical tests your doc may ask you to undergo, so he can rule out more serious causes such as infections, tumors, or fractures.
1.
MRI or CT scans Magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography can show problems with bones, muscles, tissues, blood vessels, and the like.
2.
Bone scan Your veins will be injected with a tracer-a radioactive substance-that doctors use to detect bone problems, with the help of a specialized camera.
Doctors ask for brain scans if they suspect your middle lower back pain is caused by bone tumors or osteoporosis-related fractures.
You don't have to worry, though.
For the most part, your doctor won't require medical exams to diagnose the cause of your middle lower back pain.
Most likely, he will only rely on a reflex hammer-which is made of rubber-to assess your reflexes.
He will ask you to sit, stand, walk, or lift your legs so he can check exactly where the pain comes from, what movements cause it, whether you get muscle spasms along with the pain, or how much you can move before the pain makes you stop the movement altogether.
If you want to get rid of back pains for good, find out what causes it.
Then, and only then, can you remedy the problem.
But, how exactly do doctors diagnose the cause of your middle lower back pain? Often, doctors use a rubber hammer to test your reflexes.
But, if your doctor has reasons to suspect there are more serious reasons behind your middle lower back pain, he may ask you to undergo some medical procedures.
Here are three medical tests your doc may ask you to undergo, so he can rule out more serious causes such as infections, tumors, or fractures.
1.
MRI or CT scans Magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography can show problems with bones, muscles, tissues, blood vessels, and the like.
2.
Bone scan Your veins will be injected with a tracer-a radioactive substance-that doctors use to detect bone problems, with the help of a specialized camera.
Doctors ask for brain scans if they suspect your middle lower back pain is caused by bone tumors or osteoporosis-related fractures.
You don't have to worry, though.
For the most part, your doctor won't require medical exams to diagnose the cause of your middle lower back pain.
Most likely, he will only rely on a reflex hammer-which is made of rubber-to assess your reflexes.
He will ask you to sit, stand, walk, or lift your legs so he can check exactly where the pain comes from, what movements cause it, whether you get muscle spasms along with the pain, or how much you can move before the pain makes you stop the movement altogether.
