Back pain most commonly occurs from an injury to a muscle (strain) or ligament (sprain). Back pain can also result from critical injuries, such as a vertebral fracture or ruptured disk. Most back pain gets better within a few weeks. Schedule an office visit with us if your back pain:

• Is constant or intense, especially at night or when you lie down
• Spreads down one or both legs, especially if the pain extends below your knee
• Causes weakness, numbness or tingling in one or both legs
• Occurs with unintended weight loss
• Occurs with swelling or redness on your back

A dislocation is an injury to your joint in which the ends of your bones are forced from their normal positions. Your shoulder and fingers are common locations for a dislocation to occur. Other common places for a dislocation include your elbows, knees and hips.

You may experience tingling or numbness near or below the injury, such as in your foot for a dislocated knee or in your hand for a dislocated elbow. If you have a dislocation, your joint may be:

• Immovable
• Intensely painful
• Swollen or discolored
• Visibly deformed or out of place

If you have a history of dislocations, we can provide you with options to help prevent this from recurring. 

One common site for a dislocation is your shoulder, which is a ball-and-socket joint. The ball is your upper arm bone (humerus), and the socket is part of your shoulder blade (scapula). In a shoulder dislocation, these two bones are forced from their normal positions.  

See Fractures & Trauma.

The pain of tennis elbow occurs primarily where the tendons of your forearm muscles attach to the bony prominence on the outside of your elbow. The pain may result from tiny tears in the tendon.

The pain associated with tennis elbow may radiate from the outside of your elbow into your forearm and wrist. Pain and weakness may make it difficult to:

• Shake hands 
• Turn a doorknob 
• Hold a coffee cup 

Make an appointment with our orthopedic team if rest, ice and use of over-the-counter pain relievers don’t ease your elbow pain and tenderness. 

See items below: 

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury
• Medial collateral ligament injury
• Posterior cruciate ligament injury
• Torn meniscus

A sprain occurs when you overstretch or tear your ligaments — the tough bands of fibrous tissue that connects two bones together in your joints. The most common location for a sprain is in your ankle.

A strain occurs when you overstretch or tear your muscle or tendon. A tendon is a fibrous cord of tissue that connects muscles to bones. Strains most likely occur in the lower back and in the hamstring muscle in the back of your thigh.

To treat a sprain or a strain, use rest, ice, compression and elevation. If the injury is severe, you may need surgery to repair torn ligaments, muscles or tendons.

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround your shoulder joint, keeping the head of your upper arm bone firmly within the shallow socket of the shoulder. If you're an athlete or individual who repeatedly performs overhead motions with your job or sport, you're most at risk for a rotator cuff injury.

Inflammation of a tendon can occur in any part of your body, which causes tenderness and pain with any movement you make in that area. If you've tried rest, ice and over-the-counter pain relievers and are still experiencing pain, we can help. Our skilled providers will talk with you to decide if a steroid injection or surgery is best to relieve your pain and prevent further injury. Conditions that can result from tendonitis include trigger finger and De Quervain's tenosynovitis.

• Trigger finger – Trigger finger generally results from inflammation within a tendon sheath, restricting tendon motion. A bump (nodule) also may form.

• De Quervain's tenosynovitis – A test called the Finkelstein test can help your doctor confirm de Quervain's tenosynovitis. To do this test, first bend your thumb down across the palm of your hand, covering your thumb with your fingers. Next, bend your wrist toward your little finger. If this causes pain, there is a chance you may have de Quervain's tenosynovitis.

• Plantar Fasciitis - one of the most common causes of heel pain. It involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes.  Plantar fasciitis often causes stabbing pain that usually occurs with your first steps in the morning. As you get up and move more, the pain normally decreases, but it might return after long periods of standing or after rising from sitting.  It is more common in runners. In addition, people who are overweight and those who wear shoes with inadequate support have an increased risk of plantar fasciitis.