Back Pain Treatment New Jersey

Symptoms of Back Pain

Back pain can feel very different from one person to another.

Common symptoms include:

• Dull aching pain
• Sharp or stabbing pain
• Pain when standing or walking
• Pain when bending or lifting
• Pain that travels into the buttocks or legs
• Numbness or tingling
• Muscle weakness
• Stiffness after sitting or sleeping

If pain begins traveling into your arms or legs, it may indicate irritation or compression of a spinal nerve.

Areas of the Spine We Treat

Back pain is a symptom, not a single condition. It can come from dozens of different structures at any level of your spine.

Neck and Upper Back Pain

Neck pain localized to the neck often comes from arthritic facet joints or muscle and ligament strain. But when neck pain travels into your shoulder, down your arm, or into your hand, that’s a sign a nerve root is being compressed, which most patients call a pinched nerve. This responds very well to targeted cervical injections.

Mid-Back Pain

Pain between the shoulder blades or wrapping around the ribcage is less common but just as limiting. The thoracic spine is often overlooked by doctors who focus primarily on the lower back. Dr. Koppel evaluates and treats thoracic facet joint pain, disc conditions, and nerve-related pain in this region.

Lower Back Pain

The lower back is the most common site of spinal pain. It can stem from:

• A herniated disc pressing on a nerve root (causing sciatica)
• Arthritis in the facet joints
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
• Spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal that compresses nerves

Many patients have more than one contributing factor, which is exactly why a thorough diagnostic workup matters so much.

Finding the True Source of Your Pain

One of the biggest misconceptions about back pain is that MRI findings always explain the symptoms.

Many patients have disc bulges or arthritis that never cause pain.

Others have relatively minor imaging findings that produce severe symptoms.

Dr. Todd Koppel combines your medical history, physical examination, imaging studies, and when appropriate, diagnostic injections to determine the actual pain generator before recommending treatment.

This individualized approach helps avoid unnecessary procedures while improving treatment outcomes.

Treatment Options

Your back pain treatment is matched to the confirmed diagnosis. Options at Garden State Pain Management include:

• Epidural steroid injections: for nerve inflammation from disc herniation or stenosis
• Lumbar and cervical targeted injection therapy
• Radiofrequency ablation: for facet joint and sacroiliac joint pain
• Minimally invasive discectomy: for disc herniations not responding to injections
• PRP and regenerative cell therapy: to promote actual tissue healing
• Spinal cord stimulation: for chronic pain not responding to other treatments

Back Pain After an Accident

Dr. Koppel accepts PIP (Personal Injury Protection) auto insurance and treats workers’ compensation cases. Back pain from car accidents, slip and falls, and other work and personal injuries often involves disc and nerve damage that does not appear on the initial emergency room x-rays. Early evaluation is important for both your health and for the documentation your insurance claim or legal case may require.

When Should You See a Back Pain Doctor?

Schedule an evaluation if you experience:

• Pain lasting longer than four weeks
• Pain that continues returning
• Pain traveling into your arm or leg
• Numbness or tingling
• Muscle weakness
• Difficulty walking
• Pain interfering with sleep or daily activities

Seek emergency medical care immediately if you develop sudden loss of bowel or bladder control or rapidly progressive leg weakness.

Why Choose Dr. Todd Koppel?

Finding the right treatment starts with finding the correct diagnosis.

Dr. Todd Koppel has helped patients throughout New Jersey manage acute and chronic back pain using advanced interventional pain management techniques.

Patients choose Dr. Koppel because he offers:

• Nearly 30 years of experience treating spine conditions
• 1,000+ five-star patient reviews across trusted review platforms
• Board Certified in Pain Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology
• Board Certified in Anesthesiology by the American Board of Anesthesiology
• Fellowship Trained in Interventional Pain Management
• Earned his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College
• Fellowship training at The New York Hospital and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS)
• Advanced expertise in image guided, minimally invasive pain procedures
• Personalized treatment plans
• Conservative care before surgery
• Comprehensive treatment for neck, mid back, and low back pain

At Garden State Pain Management, every treatment plan is designed around your diagnosis, symptoms, and goals.

Frequently Asked Questions