Non-Surgical Back Pain Care · Midtown NYC
Back Pain Treatment in NYC
That Helps Prevent Small Problems From Becoming Bigger Ones
Most chronic back pain starts small - tightness, stiffness, sciatica, pain after sitting too long. The mistake many people make is waiting until the pain becomes harder to reverse. Our back pain doctors in NYC identify the source early and create a clear back pain treatment plan designed to keep you active, mobile, and independent.
Identify Your Pain
What Does Your Back Pain Feel Like?
Different pain patterns often point toward different causes and treatments. Ignoring these early warning signs can allow inflammation, weakness, and pain habits to build over time.
"My lower back suddenly tightened up."
Understanding Your Pain
The Source of Back Pain Matters
Most back pain comes from one of three major sources: joints, muscles, or nerves. Understanding the source helps us choose the right treatment and helps you understand why your symptoms feel the way they do.
- Vertebral body
- Intervertebral disc
- Facet joint
- Spinous process
Joints
Often causes stiffness, arthritis pain, pain with standing, or pain after sitting too long. Facet joints and the sacroiliac joint are common sources.
Joint related pain often causes stiffness, arthritis pain, pain after sitting too long, and pain with standing upright. Facet joint injections and radiofrequency ablation are highly effective for this source.
- Trapezius
- Deltoid
- Latissimus dorsi
- Erector spinae
- External oblique
Muscles
Often causes tightness, spasms, trigger points, and pain with movement or lifting. Usually the most acute onset, and often the quickest to respond to treatment.
Muscle related pain often causes spasms, trigger points, tightness, and pain with lifting, twisting, or sudden movement. Trigger point injections and targeted physical therapy are first-line treatments.
- Spinal cord
- Healthy disc
- Herniated disc
- Compressed nerve root
- Nerve root
Nerves
Often causes sciatica, burning pain, tingling, numbness, or pain traveling down the leg. Nerve-related pain requires targeted treatment to achieve lasting relief.
Nerve pain often causes sciatica, burning pain, numbness, tingling, or pain traveling down the leg. Epidural steroid injections and nerve root blocks directly address nerve inflammation at the source.
Common Causes of Back Pain Our NYC Doctors Treat
Back pain can arise from many different structures in the spine. Our back pain doctors in NYC provide accurate diagnosis before treatment, because the right back pain treatment depends entirely on the cause.
Muscle Strains & Sprains
The most frequent cause of acute back pain. Overstretched muscle fibers or ligament sprains from sports, lifting, or sudden movements. Most resolve within weeks with proper treatment.
Herniated or Bulging Discs
When a disc's inner material pushes through the outer layer and presses on nearby nerves, causing sharp, radiating pain, often into the legs (sciatica).
Degenerative Disc Disease & Spinal Stenosis
Age-related disc breakdown and narrowing of the spinal canal that can compress nerves, causing chronic pain, stiffness, and leg symptoms.
Pinched Nerves & Radiculopathy
Nerve root compression from a herniated disc, bone spur, or narrowed canal. Causes radiating pain, numbness, or tingling down the leg, commonly called sciatica.
Facet Joint Syndrome
The small joints connecting adjacent vertebrae can become inflamed or arthritic, causing localized or referred back pain, particularly after prolonged standing or bending backward.
Sports Injuries
Athletes face elevated risk from repetitive loading, impact, and rotational stress. Common conditions include stress fractures, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and disc injuries from impact.
When to Seek Help
Signs & Symptoms - When to See a Back Pain Doctor
Not all back pain requires specialist care, but these patterns suggest an underlying structural cause that conservative measures alone are unlikely to resolve.
Symptoms Requiring Specialist Evaluation
Scroll through the signs that mean it is time to see a specialist.
- 01Back pain persisting more than 4 weeks without improvement
- 02Pain that radiates down one or both legs (sciatica)
- 03Numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs or feet
- 04Pain that worsens at night or disrupts sleep
- 05Back pain following a fall, accident, or sports injury
- 06Pain that does not respond to over-the-counter medications
- 07History of osteoporosis, cancer, or immune-compromising conditions
Emergency Warning Signs
Seek immediate emergency care if back pain is accompanied by:
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Progressive leg weakness or sudden paralysis
- Severe pain following major trauma or a fall
- Fever with back pain (possible spinal infection)
- Unexplained weight loss with back pain
These may indicate cauda equina syndrome - call 911 or go to the nearest ER immediately.
Diagnosis
How Back Pain Is Diagnosed
Effective treatment starts with an accurate diagnosis. Dr. Melepura uses a structured evaluation process to identify the exact source of your pain.
Physical Exam & Patient History
Dr. Melepura assesses your range of motion, neurological function, pain pattern, and aggravating factors. Your history guides the clinical picture before any imaging is ordered.
Imaging: MRI, CT Scan & X-Ray
MRI is the gold standard for soft tissue. CT scans provide bone detail. X-rays assess alignment and fractures. Imaging is ordered when clinically indicated, not as a default.
Diagnostic Injections
When the source is unclear, targeted diagnostic blocks - such as medial branch blocks or selective nerve root blocks - confirm the exact structure causing your pain.
How The Process Works
A Clear Step By Step Approach To Back Pain
Our process is designed to help patients understand their pain, identify the source early, receive targeted treatment, and gain tools to prevent future injuries.
Understand Symptoms
Learn what your pain pattern may mean and why ignoring symptoms can make problems harder to reverse.
Identify The Source
Understand whether the pain is coming from joints, muscles, nerves, inflammation, or movement dysfunction.
Targeted Treatment
Use the Synergy Relief Protocol™ to reduce inflammation, restore movement, and calm pain at the source.
Prevent Future Injuries
Build strength, identify triggers, improve movement habits, and gain tools to help prevent reinjury.
Our Treatment Approach
The SPIN Protocol™
Our structured four-part treatment framework ensures every patient receives a comprehensive, personalised plan, not just a single injection or a generic exercise sheet.
Start Your Recovery →S
Self-Care
Home exercises and guided movement to improve mobility, build strength, and support recovery between visits. We give you tools to manage pain day-to-day.
I
Injury Rehabilitation
One-on-one physical therapy to restore movement, improve body mechanics, and help you recover the right way.
The SPIN Protocol™
Each letter represents a key pillar of your recovery that we build your treatment plan around from day one.
P
Precision Inflammation Treatment
Image-guided injections, nerve blocks, and targeted procedures that address inflammation at the exact source, not broad, generalised pain management.
N
Next-Level Prevention
Lifestyle changes, posture improvements, and injury-prevention tools to help you stay active and reduce future flare-ups.
The SPIN Protocol™
Each letter represents a key pillar of your recovery that we build your treatment plan around from day one.
Self-Care
Home exercises and guided movement to improve mobility, build strength, and support recovery between visits. We give you tools to manage pain day-to-day.
Precision Inflammation Treatment
Image-guided injections, nerve blocks, and targeted procedures that address inflammation at the exact source, not broad, generalised pain management.
Injury Rehabilitation
One-on-one physical therapy to restore movement, improve body mechanics, and help you recover the right way.
Next-Level Prevention
Lifestyle changes, posture improvements, and injury-prevention tools to help you stay active and reduce future flare-ups.
Treatment
Back Pain Treatment Options in NYC
At SPIN, our back pain doctors in NYC take a non-surgical first approach. Dr. Melepura explores every conservative and interventional back pain treatment option before any surgical referral.
Non-Surgical Conservative Treatment
The first line of care for most back pain. Physical therapy addresses muscular imbalances and postural contributors. Anti-inflammatory medications reduce acute inflammation. Activity modification and structured rest allow natural healing to occur.
Epidural Steroid Injections
Deliver anti-inflammatory medication directly to the epidural space surrounding the spinal cord and nerve roots. Highly effective for disc herniations, spinal stenosis, and radiculopathy. Performed under image guidance for precision and safety.
Spinal Facet Injections
The facet joints are a common source of chronic low back pain, especially in patients with degenerative disc disease. Facet injections and medial branch blocks reduce inflammation and can confirm the facet joint as the pain source for further treatment planning.
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
For patients whose facet pain responds to medial branch blocks, RFA uses heat energy to interrupt pain signals, providing relief lasting 6 to 18 months in most patients. A highly effective long-term option for chronic facet joint pain.
Nerve Block Injections
Target specific nerves or nerve clusters to interrupt pain signaling. Used both therapeutically for relief and diagnostically to confirm the nerve source of pain. Types include lumbar sympathetic blocks, selective nerve root blocks, and trigger point injections.
Spinal Cord Stimulation Therapy
An advanced option for chronic back pain that has not responded to other treatments. A small implanted device delivers low-level electrical signals to the spinal cord, modifying pain signals before they reach the brain.
When Is Back Surgery Necessary?
The majority of back pain patients - including those with disc herniations, spinal stenosis, and radiculopathy - do not require surgery. At SPIN, surgery is reserved for cases of severe structural instability or neurological compromise that has not responded to 3-6 months of conservative treatment. Dr. Melepura will provide a clear recommendation and, when appropriate, refer to a trusted surgical specialist.
Why SPIN
Why Patients Choose Our Back Pain Doctors in NYC
When looking for back pain treatment in NYC, patients choose SPIN for our precision, patience, and non-surgical-first approach that delivers lasting results.
Same-Day Appointments
Seen quickly, treated promptly, same-day and same-week availability.
Non-Surgical First
Every non- and minimally-invasive option before any surgical referral.
Image-Guided Precision
Fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance for accurate, safer procedures.
Double Board-Certified
Interventional pain management and anesthesiology.
Personalized Plans
Built around your diagnosis, lifestyle, and goals, never one-size-fits-all.
Most Insurance Accepted
We verify your benefits before your first visit.
Dr. Febin Melepura, MD
Back Pain Doctor & Founder, Sports Pain Institute of New York (SPIN)
Back Pain Doctor in NYC - Double Board-Certified
Dr. Febin Melepura, MD is a double board-certified back pain doctor in NYC and the founder of the Sports Pain Institute of New York. He completed his residency and fellowship training at New York Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center, one of the nation's leading academic medical centers.
He holds dual board certifications from the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine, and has treated more than 7,500 patients and performed over 5,250 procedures. He has been named a Top Pain Management Doctor in New York and one of America's Top Doctors™ by Castle Connolly.
- Double Board-Certified: Pain Management & Anesthesiology
- Fellowship-Trained at NY Presbyterian / Columbia University
- Castle Connolly & NY Magazine Top Doctor
- 7,500+ patients treated | 5,250+ procedures performed
- Founder, Sports Pain Institute of New York (SPIN)
Real Stories from our Patients
"I'm so thankful I found this place when I was going through the worst back pain of my life i couldn't barely walk. Dr. Melepura and his staff were incredibly kind and helpful. He did everything he could to help relieve my pain. I highly recommend him with my eyes closed!"
"Very clean facility with friendly staff and knowledgeable doctors. Worked with Dr Melepura for some lower back pain. Also very easy to get an appointment!"
"Excellent service and responsiveness. As a patient with severe back pain it's been incredible to be able to text them and receive responses in a timely manner - doctor was excellent."
"This is by far the best practice for back pain in NYC. Dr. Melepura and his staff, particularly Jazmin, are incredible."
"Excellent care, no wait time. Highly recommend for back pain and any issues"
"I came to Dr Melepura after prolonged lower back pain. He is a very thorough doctor asking the right questions and giving good recommendations for recovery. I followed his recommendation of getting a firmer mattress and that did the trick for me. Sometimes it is the small changes that do the trick."
"Dr. Melepura is amazing! I've been having SEVERE neck and upper back pain for a few weeks now, he was able to help me and got moving again! The office is so NICE AND CLEAN! The staff has been exceptional. I'd give them 10 stars if there was a higher rating available!"
"I will recommend for everyone who suffer from low back pain to go to Dr. Melepura. He is very nice and listens very carefully to your medical history. He suggested me to exercise and PT that will help me to get relief from back pain. The front desk girl is very nice and helpful. Highly recommend."
Frequently Asked Questions
Look for a board-certified pain management specialist with subspecialty training in interventional procedures. A qualified back pain doctor in NYC should offer a full diagnostic evaluation before recommending treatment, prioritise non-surgical options, and use image guidance for injections. Dr. Melepura at SPIN is double board-certified and has treated over 7,500 patients in Midtown Manhattan.
