At The Spine Care Center in Manassas, our team of spine specialists diagnose and treat a wide variety of spine conditions. One such condition is an annular tear, which is the fissure or tearing of the annulus. The annulus is the strong outer layer of the discs located between your spine bones (vertebrae). It connects the vertebrae together and supports your back and neck.
An annular tear occurs when the fibrous outer layer of a disc is damaged. Annular tears are more common in older adults since the annulus can become thinner and less flexible with age. However, anyone may experience an annular tear after lifting heavy objects, twisting, or bending the spine. Moreover, annular tears can be more common in certain athletes like gymnasts or football players, who often twist and/or overextend their spines.
Symptoms for an annular tear can vary from person to person and depend on where the tear takes place in your back. Annular tears may not result in any symptoms, especially if there is no disc protrusion. The most common symptoms of annular tears include:
You can find many safe treatments to relieve pain and symptoms caused by annular tears with the help of The Spine Care Center’s physicians. Our team of spine experts understands conservative treatments, and we can use our expertise to help you find relief.
To diagnose the cause of your back pain, one of The Spine Care Center’s physicians will ask you questions about the pain. These questions may include when it started, what you were doing at the time, and what makes the pain worse or better.
Your doctor will also perform a physical examination of your back to further understand the source of your pain. The spine specialist may also order an MRI. MRI images can help your physician see any problems with the discs and other soft tissue in your spine and diagnose an annular tear if one is present.
The experienced spine physicians at The Spine Care Center have helped thousands of patients from the Washington, D.C. area overcome back pain. Our fellowship-trained spine experts use a patient-centered approach that is customized to you, your health, and your lifestyle.
We strive to help you avoid surgery and achieve long-term pain relief by treating the cause of your pain. We’ll begin your treatment with safe, effective therapies such as:
With time, rest, and conservative treatments, your annular tear should heal. That said, it is more likely to tear again in the future. For that reason our highly skilled spine surgeon can also perform minimally invasive surgeries to treat annular tears, so The Spine Care Center could help you even if your pain is severe and long-lasting. These minimally invasive techniques use only small incisions, reducing your risk of pain and bleeding while also speeding up your recovery.
You can find relief from pain caused by an annular tear. Get help from our compassionate back pain experts by calling The Spine Care Center in Manassas today at (703) 257-2266, or by requesting an appointment online.