Chronic Back Pain
Chronic Back Pain Treatment That Finds the Root Cause
Bending to load the dishwasher. Lifting a grandchild. Standing through a long event. Sleeping through the night. When back pain lasts for months, it shapes every day, and pills, rest, and therapy only take the edge off. Dr. Ilana Etelzon finds what is actually driving your back pain and treats that, so you can move with confidence again without rushing into surgery.
Double Board-Certified
Regenexx-Certified Provider
X-Ray & Ultrasound Guided
4 Offices in NY & NJ
Why it still hurts
The findings on your MRI are common in people with no back pain
Back pain that lasts longer than three months is considered chronic, and it is one of the most common reasons adults miss work and step back from the activities they love. Many people are shown an MRI with bulging or worn discs and told that explains everything. A large review in a leading radiology journal found that disc wear and bulges are common in adults with no back pain at all, and they become more common with every decade.
That means the image alone rarely names the true source. Chronic back pain usually comes from a specific structure: a disc that has started to crack, an arthritic facet joint, an irritated sacroiliac joint, loose ligaments, a pinched nerve, or deep stabilizing muscles that have stopped doing their job. Treatment that targets the wrong one keeps you stuck.
Pain that keeps coming back has a reason. Finding it comes first.
The root causes
Six things that drive chronic back pain
Most chronic back pain has more than one of these at work at the same time. That is why a single treatment rarely settles things for long, and why your plan should match your own mix.
1
Damaged discs
Small cracks in the outer wall of a disc can leak irritating fluid and cause a deep ache that worsens with sitting and bending.
2
Arthritic facet joints
These small joints at the back of the spine can wear and inflame, causing pain that is worse with standing, arching, and twisting.
3
An irritated sacroiliac joint
The joint where the spine meets the pelvis is a common and often missed source of low back and buttock pain.
4
Loose spinal ligaments
Stretched ligaments let the vertebrae move more than they should, straining the discs and joints with everyday motion.
5
A pinched or irritated nerve
A bulging disc or a narrowed opening can press on a nerve and send pain into the buttock and leg.
6
Weak deep stabilizing muscles
The small muscles that steady each level of the spine can shrink after back pain starts, leaving the spine unsupported.
Step one: Reveal
How Dr. Etelzon finds what is driving your back pain
Your first visit is built around one question: what is keeping this back from settling down? Dr. Etelzon answers it with the same careful steps every time.
- Your storyWhen it started, which positions make it worse, what you have tried, and what you want to get back to.
- A hands-on examShe checks your motion, the facet and sacroiliac joints, nerve function, and how your hips and pelvis move.
- Image-guided testingWhen a specific joint or ligament is suspected, precise testing under X-ray or ultrasound guidance can confirm the source.
- Your imaging, read closelyShe reviews your MRI and X-rays and matches what they show to what she finds on exam.
You leave knowing which drivers are at work in your back and what each part of your plan is for.
Reveal
Find every driver
Diagnose all the sources of pain before treating any of them.
Repair
Treat the tissue
Image-guided regenerative care aimed at the damaged structures.
Restore
Rebuild control
Strength and movement work so the area holds up under load.
Renew
Get back to life
Return to your activities and stay there.
Step two: Repair
Treatment matched to what is actually wrong
Once the source is clear, Dr. Etelzon chooses treatments that aim at it directly. Spine injections are placed under X-ray guidance, so they reach the exact disc, joint, or ligament that needs them.
The SuperShot
An advanced regenerative injection built on extracellular vesicle science, used for damaged discs and the tissue around them.
Learn about the SuperShot ›PRP Injections
Concentrated platelets from your own blood, used to calm irritated facet and sacroiliac joints and strengthen loose spinal ligaments.
Learn about PRP injections ›Bone Marrow Concentrate
Cells drawn from your own bone marrow, used for more advanced damage in the joints and supporting tissues of the spine.
Learn about stem cell injections ›Shockwave Therapy
Acoustic waves that relax tight, overworked back muscles and restore blood flow to them.
Learn about shockwave therapy ›MLS Laser Therapy
A focused laser that reduces inflammation and pain. It is often paired with injections so the back settles faster.
Learn about MLS laser therapy ›Interventional Pain Care
When an inflamed nerve needs faster relief, interventional options such as an epidural can be part of the plan.
See interventional pain care ›Where cortisone fits
Steroid injections can quiet a flare of nerve pain for a while, and they have a place. They do not repair a damaged disc or joint, so Dr. Etelzon pairs any short-term relief with treatment aimed at the source and a plan to rebuild the deep muscles that protect your spine.
Every pattern
What can help, by type of back pain
Chronic back pain falls into a few common patterns. The pattern guides the plan, and your specific drivers decide it.
Disc
Disc pain
A deep ache with sitting and bending. Regenerative injections such as the SuperShot aim at the damaged disc itself.
Facet and SI joint
Joint pain
Pain with standing, arching, or rolling over in bed. PRP placed in the irritated joint and loose ligaments can calm it for good.
Nerve
Nerve pain
Pain that travels into the buttock or leg. Treatment aims at what is pressing on the nerve. See sciatica treatment.
An honest note. Regenerative care cannot undo decades of spinal wear. The goal is less pain, better movement, and a spine you trust again.
Results
Outcomes tracked across the Regenexx network
Regenexx collects patient-reported outcomes from certified clinics across the country. Explore the live results below.
Like all medical procedures, regenerative procedures have a success and failure rate. Individual results vary.
Step four: Renew
Back to the things your back is for
Patients come to us wanting specific things back: an afternoon in the garden, picking up the kids, a long walk, a full night of sleep. That is what we treat toward.
An afternoon in the garden
Keeping up with the little ones
Your first visit
What to expect, and what it costs
Your first visit is a consultation with Dr. Etelzon: your history, a hands-on exam, image-guided testing when needed, and a review of your imaging. Bring any spine MRIs or X-rays you have. If treatment makes sense, you leave with a written plan and a clear price before anything is scheduled.
Most regenerative procedures, including PRP and bone marrow concentrate, are not covered by insurance. Many patients use HSA or FSA funds, and monthly financing is available. See our payment and financing options.
Find us
Chronic back pain treatment across New York and New Jersey
Dr. Etelzon and her team treat back pain at four offices, so care is close to where you live and work.
New York
Brooklyn
2577 East 17th Street, 1st Floor Unit 18B, Brooklyn, NY 11235Brooklyn office › New JerseyClifton
1111 Paulison Ave, Unit 2, Clifton, NJ 07011Clifton office › New JerseyNewark
73-75 Ferry St, Newark, NJ 07105Newark office › New JerseyPerth Amboy
345 State St, Unit B, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861Perth Amboy office ›Call 1 (844) 959-7246 to reach any office.
Keep reading
More on back pain and regenerative care
References
- Brinjikji W, et al. Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. American Journal of Neuroradiology. 2015;36(4):811-816.
- Maher C, Underwood M, Buchbinder R. Non-specific low back pain. The Lancet. 2017;389(10070):736-747.
Find out what is driving your back pain
One visit, a clear answer, and a plan built around your back and the life you want back. This is where the trying stops.