Recently the Florida Medical Association (FMA) president, Ralph Nobo, M.D. addressed one of the biggest issues facing physicians today, Insurance companies. Physicians are constantly asking themselves if a patient’s insurance company will let the patient have the care that is best for them and ultimately pursue the course of action laid out by the physician. Insurance companies are focused more on reducing their own costs than providing care. As a result, they are creating hoops patients have to jump through to receive the quality care they deserve.

“It’s just a strain. I’ll be fine.” How many times do we hear those words when someone winces in pain from picking up something heavy or instinctively grabs their lower back while crouching after a work related or athletic mishap? It’s a fairly common sentiment to a fairly common condition. However, sometimes it’s not just a strain. It could be a herniated disc, which a little more serious. This begs the question, “What’s the difference, and how do I treat my symptoms appropriately?”

Back and neck pain constitute some of the most common reasons for disability, missed work, and downright miserable days and nights for millions of Americans. Fortunately, the medical industry has made great strides in treating many of the problems associated with a bad back or a literal pain in the neck. Consider the following list of the ten most common causes of back and neck pain to gain a better understanding of how these things can happen to anyone, anytime, and potentially avoid them whenever possible.

A little nick or two here and there when you’re shaving in the morning is fine. You might apply a styptic pencil if the cut just won’t stop bleeding, but in most cases, you’re going to just slap on the aftershave, shrug it off, and go to work. Not all nicks that the human body can endure are the same, however. For instance, if that tiny nick occurs to the membrane surrounding the spinal cord during back surgery, no styptic pencil or aftershave in the world is going to help.

Some of us are truly blessed with extraordinary genetics when we enter this world. Those people are born tall and slender, have exceptional athletic ability, and an adaptable mindset that seems to be capable of anything from being a champion thumb wrestler to a world-renowned brain surgeon. Well, this article isn’t for those people …

A herniated disc can result from injury or age-related degeneration. Conservative options should always be considered before jumping right into the surgical procedure, especially when it comes to something like a herniated disc.

There’s a common misconception in the public eye about bone spurs of the back and neck. Quite often they’re wrongly blamed for a dull and consistent pain that radiates into the shoulders and potentially, all the way down the lower spine into the thigh area. In reality, bone spurs should usually be considered the symptom more than the actual cause of the pain.

Pain from a herniated disc, often called a ruptured disc, can range from mild and nagging, all the way to severe and debilitating. This condition occurs when one of the discs between the vertebrae in your back moves slightly out of alignment and begins rubbing on one of the surrounding nerves. What happens next is the body’s injury alert system takes over—the nerves send a message to the brain that something is wrong. In other words, pain occurs. Consider following the recommendations below.