In general, pain in your back can be thought of as coming from:

1. Your muscles
2. Your nerves (such as pinched nerves, or a herniated disc compressing your spinal cord)
3. Your bones/joints (such as “arthritis” of joints of your spine, called “facet joints”All three are inter-related, and often one type of pain may cause another.  Based on the physical exam, imaging studies, and targeted injections, we can seek to find out which of these compontents may be playing the largest role in your pain, so we can find out what the best treatment package is for you.