by MAPS Centers For Pain Control | Jun 26, 2026 | Back Pain
Summary: Upper back pain is harder to pin down than lower back pain, and it gets attributed to muscle tension far more often than the evidence actually supports. The real source may be the thoracic spine, including discs, facet joints, and nerve involvement, or...
by MAPS Centers For Pain Control | Jun 24, 2026 | Back Pain
Summary: Back pain that keeps returning usually isn’t bad luck or a sign you’re simply prone to it. It’s a signal that something underlying was never fully identified or addressed, whether that’s an untreated spinal condition, muscle...
by MAPS Centers For Pain Control | May 29, 2026 | Back Pain
Summary It started two weeks ago. Then four. Maybe six. You’ve been modifying how you sit, how you sleep, what you lift. You’ve stretched. You’ve rested. You’ve tried heat, then ice, then heat again. Some days are better, and you let yourself...
by MAPS Centers For Pain Control | Mar 23, 2026 | Back Pain, Pain Management
Summary When back pain travels beyond the spine into the buttocks, hips, or down the legs, it typically signals nerve involvement — most often a compressed or irritated nerve root in the lumbar spine. This is called radiculopathy, and when the sciatic nerve is...
by MAPS Centers For Pain Control | Mar 20, 2026 | Back Pain, Chronic Pain, Pain Management
Summary Chronic back pain — pain lasting three months or longer — isn’t a life sentence, but it does require a different approach than acute pain. It persists because the underlying structural causes (degenerated discs, arthritic joints, weakened postural...
by MAPS Centers For Pain Control | Mar 19, 2026 | Back Pain, Pain Management
Summary Upper back pain — pain in the thoracic spine, between the base of the neck and the bottom of the rib cage — is less common than lower back pain but can be equally disabling. It most often results from postural strain, muscle imbalance, disc or joint...
