Summary

Back pain affects 1 in 4 American adults and is the single most common complaint treated at MAPS Centers for Pain Control across Chicagoland. Whether your pain stems from a pinched nerve, disc degeneration, poor posture, or a workplace or car accident injury, effective non-surgical treatment options exist — and most are covered by Medicare. At MAPS, a team approach to care — combining physical therapy, targeted injections, and advanced restorative procedures — helps patients get back to the lives they love, without surgery. Don’t wait to seek help. The sooner back pain is addressed, the better the outcome.

Back pain is one of those conditions that almost everyone will experience at some point. Research from the National Institutes of Health shows that one in four adults in the United States is currently living with low back pain, and nearly 80% of people will deal with it at some point in their lifetimes. For many Chicago-area residents, whether they’re working desk jobs in the Loop, spending long shifts at hospitals in Streeterville, or staying active in Lincoln Park — back pain becomes a daily obstacle that steals quality of life one movement at a time.

At MAPS Centers for Pain Control, back pain is far and away the most frequently treated condition across all eight Chicagoland clinic locations. “Back pain is by and large the most common complaint we see,” says Adarsh Shukla, MD, LCP-C a pain management specialist with MAPS. “I would say anywhere from 60 to 70% of the patients I see are coming in with back pain.”

The good news? You don’t have to keep living with it. Today’s pain management landscape offers more effective, non-surgical tools than ever before — and a committed care team at MAPS is ready to help.

What Is Back Pain? Understanding the Anatomy

The spine is divided into three main regions:

1. Cervical spine — the neck (upper region)
2. Thoracic spine — the mid-back
3. Lumbar spine — the lower back

When most patients say “my back hurts,” they’re typically referring to the lumbar spine, the lower vertebrae, the discs that cushion them, and the nerves that branch out from each spinal level. But back pain doesn’t always stay put. It can radiate into the glutes, hips, down one or both legs, or even travel upward depending on what’s happening structurally inside the body.

Because the back is such a complex region, the phrase “back pain” can describe a wide range of underlying issues, from a strained muscle to a compressed nerve to advancing disc degeneration. This is exactly why an accurate diagnosis from a trained specialist matters so much before any treatment begins.

Common Causes of Back Pain in Chicago Patients

1. Degenerative Disc Disease and Spinal Arthritis

One of the most common drivers of chronic low back pain is the gradual breakdown of the spinal discs and joints over time. Discs lose water content and height, vertebral joints develop arthritis, and the spine loses its ability to absorb shock and maintain alignment as efficiently as it once did.

What makes this particularly tricky is that degeneration often progresses silently for years before it produces noticeable symptoms. Dr. Shukla addresses this reality directly with all of his patients: “I know this pain may have just presented in the past week, maybe month, maybe a couple months, but likely the processes inside your body that were happening that led to this were happening long before that. It could be years of either improper mechanics or years of degeneration that was happening in your body, and it just didn’t present as a symptom until very recently.”

Learn more: What Causes Back Pain? Common Triggers You Shouldn’t Ignore | Lower Back Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

2. Radiculopathy — The Pinched Nerve

Radiculopathy is the clinical term for a compressed or irritated spinal nerve root, and it’s among the most common reasons people come to MAPS. It occurs when a herniated disc, bone spur, or narrowed spinal canal puts pressure on a nerve, generating pain not just in the back itself but also down the pathway of that nerve.

“A radiculopathy is basically a term for a pinched nerve in your back that can cause some pain in your low back as well as pain in your legs in addition to any nerve-type symptoms like numbness, tingling, burning in the legs or the feet,” explains Dr. Shukla.

Learn more: Back Pain That Radiates: When Pain Travels to the Legs or Hips

3. Mechanical and Postural Back Pain

Not all back pain originates from the discs or nerves. Mechanical back pain results from how the body moves — or more accurately, how it doesn’t move well. Poor posture at a desk, improper lifting mechanics, and muscle imbalances all create abnormal loads on the spine over time.

“Mechanical back pain is generally attributable to poor posture, poor positioning when lifting, just poor mechanics overall with anything from sitting to walking,” says Dr. Shukla. He sees this pattern frequently among certain professional groups. “One example I see a lot is nurses. Nurses who work in hospitals are very often leaned over the patient’s bed — that’s a forward-bent posture at the waist. If you’re doing that multiple times throughout the day, every day, that’s not a favorable position for your back.”

Chicago’s dense office workforce, commuters who sit for long stretches on the CTA or work multi-hour desk shifts in the city’s business districts, is particularly vulnerable to this category of back pain.

Learn more: Back Pain from Sitting and Desk Work: A Common Chicago Problem | Back Pain Without Injury: Why It Happens and What to Do

4. Traumatic Injuries

Falls, car accidents, and occupational injuries are a significant portion of new back pain cases at MAPS. Whether the result of a slip on an icy Chicago sidewalk in February or a rear-end collision on the Dan Ryan, traumatic events can injure the muscles, ligaments, discs, and vertebrae of the lumbar spine. Prompt evaluation after trauma is critical — untreated injuries often transition into long-term chronic pain.

Learn more: Lower Back Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

5. Core Muscle Weakness and Multifidus Atrophy

One of the lesser-discussed contributors to chronic low back pain is weakness in the deep stabilizing muscles of the spine, particularly a muscle called the multifidus. Unlike the superficial back muscles you can consciously flex, the multifidus operates under what’s called autonomous (automatic) control, it fires the moment you stand up or begin walking, without any conscious thought.

In patients with chronic low back pain, MRI imaging frequently reveals that this muscle has atrophied and become infiltrated with fatty tissue, reducing its ability to maintain proper spinal alignment and mechanics. And because it isn’t under voluntary control, traditional exercise can’t fully rehabilitate it on its own.

Learn more: Chronic Back Pain: Why Pain Persists and How Long-Term Relief Is Possible | Upper Back Pain: Why It Happens and How It’s Treated

Warning Signs: When Should You See a Back Pain Specialist?

Dr. Shukla’s advice is clear: don’t wait. “My advice is always address it sooner rather than later. We know that with back pain, the longer you wait to address it, the more likely it is that that pain is to become chronic and long lasting.”

Symptoms that warrant prompt evaluation include:

1. Back pain that persists for more than two to three weeks without improvement
2. Pain that radiates into the buttocks, hips, or down one or both legs
3. Numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness in the legs or feet
4. Back pain that follows a fall, car accident, or lifting injury
5. Pain that worsens with specific movements, prolonged sitting, or standing
6. Back pain that disrupts your sleep or prevents normal daily activities
7. Pain accompanied by bladder or bowel changes (seek care immediately)

Even if back pain seems to resolve on its own, an evaluation is worthwhile. “Oftentimes, especially in younger people, back pain will just resolve on its own in a matter of weeks or days,” says Dr. Shukla. “But most of the time, there’s some underlying factors that may have caused that pain, whether that’s degeneration of the discs, or arthritis in the back, or a pinched nerve, that will likely result in recurrence of that pain.”

Non-Surgical Back Pain Treatment Options at MAPS

MAPS provides a comprehensive, team-based approach to back pain treatment — moving from the most conservative interventions to more advanced options only when needed. Crucially, the goal at MAPS is never just temporary symptom relief. It’s long-term recovery.

“For most patients, I can reduce your pain,” says Dr. Shukla. “We have a variety of treatments available to us nowadays that work really well in helping patients reduce their pain level when it’s at its worst. Once beyond that, there’s almost a lifestyle that has to be committed to, that a patient has to commit to, to sustain that relief.”

Step 1: Medications (Conservative Management)

For patients in the acute phase of pain, medications help bring symptoms under control quickly enough to allow participation in rehabilitation. Options may include:

• Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or naproxen
• Prescription-strength NSAIDs for more significant inflammation
• Muscle relaxants (e.g., cyclobenzaprine or tizanidine) for patients with significant muscle spasm
• Short-term pain management medications as appropriate

Medications are not a standalone solution, but they play a meaningful role in the early stages of care by creating a window for rehabilitation to begin.

Step 2: Physical Therapy — The Foundation of Recovery

If there is one treatment Dr. Shukla champions above all others, it is physical therapy. “Physical therapy is probably one of the most important players in the realm of treatments for low back pain,” he says. “It’s ultimately where the patient will learn to correct a lot of the things that may have led to their back pain — strengthen the areas that may be weak, improve the range of motion or flexibility in the areas that are not moving properly.”

Physical therapy is where patients address the structural and biomechanical issues that caused their back pain in the first place: muscle imbalances, core weakness, poor postural habits, and limited flexibility. Home exercise programs developed during PT need to continue long after formal sessions end — ideally two to four times per week, indefinitely — in order to maintain progress and prevent recurrence.

“If you don’t make those changes, then you would likely be coming back to see me sooner than I want you to,” Dr. Shukla notes plainly.

Step 3: Injection-Based Treatments

For patients whose pain is too severe to allow meaningful participation in physical therapy, or who need additional relief after PT alone, targeted injections can provide substantial reduction in pain — creating the critical window for rehabilitation to take hold.

Common injection treatments at MAPS include:

• Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI): Anti-inflammatory medication delivered directly around compressed spinal nerves, providing targeted relief from radiculopathy and disc-related nerve pain
• Facet Joint Injections: The facet joints — small joints between each vertebra — are a major pain generator in arthritis and degeneration; injections here can significantly reduce axial (localized) back pain
• Nerve Blocks: Interrupt pain signals from specific nerves contributing to a patient’s symptoms
• Radiofrequency Ablation (Nerve Ablation): A procedure that uses precisely controlled heat to disable the nerves transmitting pain signals from arthritic facet joints — results can last 12 months or more before the nerve regenerates

“For the patients who maybe can’t participate as effectively in therapy, injection-based treatment can really help reduce their pain to allow them to then more effectively participate in a rehabilitation program,” explains Dr. Shukla.

The key distinction he draws: “I’m so glad that this treatment provided pain relief for you, but the problem that led to your pain is still there — so you need to fix that. What this injection has done is it’s given you a window of opportunity to correct the muscular imbalances, the postural inefficiencies, the weaknesses in your body that may have led to this pain.”

Step 4: Advanced Procedures — Spinal Cord Stimulation

For patients with chronic, refractory back pain who haven’t achieved adequate relief through conservative treatments, implantable neurostimulation devices represent a well-studied, effective option. Spinal cord stimulators and peripheral nerve stimulators work by modulating pain signals before they reach the brain. Clinical evidence consistently shows these devices reduce chronic pain levels and lower dependence on prescription pain medications — improving quality of life significantly for the right candidates.

Step 5: Restorative Treatment — Multifidus Muscle Stimulation

One of the most exciting developments in modern pain management is the shift toward treatments that don’t just manage symptoms — they actually restore function. Multifidus muscle stimulation is a newer implantable technology that does exactly that.

Because the multifidus muscle operates under autonomous control — firing automatically rather than voluntarily — traditional exercises cannot fully rehabilitate it once it has atrophied. By directly stimulating the muscle with an implantable device, this treatment rebuilds the muscle’s active function, restoring the postural stability that chronic back pain patients have lost.

“By being able to stimulate that muscle with an implantable stimulator, we can actually restore the function of that muscle,” says Dr. Shukla. “That’s what I mean by restorative treatments — we’re not just managing symptoms, we’re actually trying to restore function.”

This is a meaningful distinction from palliative care, where relief lasts only as long as medication is in the body. With restorative treatment, the recovery is built into the treatment itself.

What to Expect at Your First MAPS Appointment

Walking into a pain specialist’s office for the first time can feel intimidating — especially if you’ve been suffering for a long time and aren’t sure what to expect. Here’s how Dr. Shukla approaches a new patient consultation:

1. Comprehensive history-taking: When did the pain start? What aggravates or relieves it? What does your job require physically? Has there been any traumatic event — a fall, accident, or injury? What treatments have you tried before?

2. Physical examination: A thorough exam helps identify the specific pain generator — whether it’s the lumbar spine itself, the discs, the nerves, the sacroiliac joints in the pelvic region, the hips, or the surrounding musculature.

3. Imaging review or ordering: X-rays and MRIs provide important structural information. If you have prior imaging, bring it. If you haven’t had any, MAPS can order what’s needed.

4. Individualized treatment planning: Based on history, exam, and imaging, Dr. Shukla will explain his clinical impression, discuss the most appropriate treatment options, and set clear expectations for the recovery timeline.

“I’ll always try to counsel the patient and set the expectation that I’m going to do everything in my power to get you to be pain-free or in minimal pain and back to your quality of life that you were able to live before you started having this pain,” he says.

Does Medicare Cover Back Pain Treatment?

Yes — and this is an important point for many Chicago-area patients, particularly those 65 and older. MAPS accepts Medicare, and the vast majority of available treatments are covered, including:

• Physical therapy
• Epidural steroid injections
• Facet joint injections
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Spinal cord stimulation and other advanced implantable procedures

A small number of emerging regenerative therapies — such as PRP (platelet-rich plasma) — are still under active clinical study and are not yet covered by Medicare. But these represent a limited portion of the overall treatment menu. “If a patient has general Medicare coverage, we will be able to treat them and provide almost all of the treatments that we have available to us,” confirms Dr. Shukla.

Frequently Asked Questions About Back Pain in Chicago

Q: Can back pain go away on its own without treatment? A: Sometimes — especially in younger patients with acute injuries — back pain does resolve on its own over days or weeks. But this doesn’t mean the underlying cause has been resolved. Degenerative changes, disc problems, and muscle imbalances often remain and set the stage for recurrence. As Dr. Shukla explains, the pain going away doesn’t mean the problem went away. Evaluation helps ensure you know what you’re dealing with and can prevent a worse flare-up down the road.

Q: Will I need surgery for my back pain? A: The overwhelming majority of back pain cases can be treated effectively without surgery. At MAPS, all treatments offered are non-surgical. Options like injections, physical therapy, nerve ablation, and spinal cord stimulation provide lasting relief for most patients. Surgery is typically considered only after conservative and interventional options have been exhausted, and MAPS will always be transparent about when a surgical referral might be appropriate.

Q: How long does recovery from back pain take? A: Recovery timelines vary significantly depending on the cause and severity of the pain, and whether underlying issues like muscle atrophy or disc degeneration are involved. Dr. Shukla is candid with his patients: “This developed probably over years and years, so you shouldn’t expect the fix to be a week or a month.” Recovery is a process — and long-term success requires commitment to a rehabilitation lifestyle, not just completing a short course of treatment.

Q: Is there a difference between pain relief and actual recovery? A: Yes, and it’s a distinction Dr. Shukla considers one of the most important in pain medicine. Pain relief addresses symptoms; recovery addresses the cause. An injection may significantly reduce pain, but if the mechanical issues, muscle imbalances, and postural habits that caused the pain aren’t corrected through rehabilitation, the pain is likely to return.

Q: I’ve seen things on the internet about treating back pain myself. Is that safe? A: Patient education is encouraged, but self-diagnosis and self-treatment have real risks. “Low back pain is a complex medical problem and there’s not one source of it, there’s not one reason it’s happening, and there’s not one effective treatment,” says Dr. Shukla. Getting evaluated by a specialist ensures you understand your specific condition — and that the treatment you pursue is appropriate for what’s actually causing your pain.

Q: What MAPS locations serve the Chicago area? A: MAPS operates eight convenient Chicagoland locations, including Chicago North Side, Chicago Midway, Des Plaines, Franklin Park, Hazel Crest, Woodridge, Frankfort, and St. John, Indiana. Call 773-917-8400 or schedule online at mwpain.com.

There Is Hope — You Don’t Have to Keep Suffering

Perhaps the most important message from Dr. Shukla, and from the entire MAPS team, is this: back pain is not a life sentence.

“I would tell anybody living with back pain, anybody suffering from back pain — you do not need to just suffer in back pain. And you don’t need to think that there’s no hope or there’s no recovery for you. There is so much that we can offer.”

Whether you’ve been dealing with a dull ache for years, a sudden injury from an accident, or escalating pain that’s now affecting your sleep and mobility — there is a path forward. The team at MAPS — double-board-certified physicians, physical therapists, and support staff working together — is ready to help you build a personalized plan to reach meaningful, lasting relief.

Take the first step today. Call MAPS at 773-917-8400 or schedule a consultation online. With eight locations across Chicagoland, care is close to home.

Reviewed by Adarsh Shukla, MD, LCP-C — Board-Certified Pain Management Specialist, MAPS Centers for Pain Control. Information in this article is intended for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.

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• What Causes Back Pain? Common Triggers You Shouldn’t Ignore
• Lower Back Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options
• Upper Back Pain: Why It Happens and How It’s Treated
• Chronic Back Pain: Why Pain Persists and How Long-Term Relief Is Possible
• Back Pain That Radiates: When Pain Travels to the Legs or Hips
• Back Pain from Sitting and Desk Work: A Common Chicago Problem
• Back Pain Without Injury: Why It Happens and What to Do