Lower back pain that won't quit: treat the root, not just the symptom

80% of people get it; nobody should get used to it

Lower back pain is usually mechanical: natural wear of the spine's joints and discs, spasms from effort, sudden twists or sustained poor posture. Most acute episodes improve in one or two weeks. The problem is when it becomes chronic: months of stiffness, daily painkillers and activities you stop doing.

When the pain also shoots down the leg like an electric shock, that is sciatica: a compressed nerve root that needs to be checked for a herniated disc.

Signs of chronic lumbago

• Dull, constant pain in the lower back
• Stiffness when getting up in the morning
• Pain that grows after standing or sitting for long
• Recurring muscle spasms
• Trouble lifting or bending
• Pain spreading to the buttock or leg

Rest, anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants treat the episode, not the cause. Ozone acts on the inflammation and tissue oxygenation that keep chronic pain going.

Paravertebral ozone injections

An oxygen-ozone mixture is injected into the paravertebral muscles and, when there is facet wear, into the posterior joints of the spine. Ozone reduces inflammation, relaxes the spasm, improves microcirculation and produces natural pain relief that lasts between sessions. If a herniated disc is present, we consider adding intradiscal discolysis.

How the treatment works

1. Evaluation: history, physical exam and review of X-rays or MRI to tell spasm, facet wear or herniation apart.
2. Injection cycle: 1 to 2 sessions per week, 20 to 30 minutes each.
3. Optional autohemotherapy: for widespread chronic pain we add ozone through the blood for a systemic anti-inflammatory effect.
4. Follow-up: lumbar stabilization exercise guide to keep the result.

Who is a candidate?

People with low back pain lasting more than six weeks, recurring spasms, facet wear or pain after exertion. If there is loss of strength, incontinence or fever, the evaluation is urgent and may need a different approach.