To better understand the cause of your back pain and your recommended treatment, it is helpful to appreciate spinal anatomy.

Your spine is made up of 24 vertebrae - like a cluster of blocks stacked on top of one another. The bony vertebrae provide structural support for the spine and protection for the spinal cord and nerve roots. Each vertebra is made up of a vertebral body in the front and facet joints in the back. The human spine is divided into three sections: 1) the cervical spine or neck is made up of 7 vertebrae, 2) the thoracic spine or upper back made up of 12 vertebrae and 3) the lumbar spine or low back which consists of 5 vertebrae.

The spine has 31 pairs of spinal nerve roots, which branch off the spinal cord and exit through the inter-vertebral space between each vertebra. The nerve roots transmit sensory and motor impulses to and from parts of your body so that you can move and feel sensations.
The sciatic nerve is comprised of a bundle of nerves that run down the back of each leg to control movement and sensation. “Sciatica” occurs when a nerve is pinched from a herniated disc in the lower back or compressed by nearby musculature causing pain, or numbness and/or tingling down the back of the leg.

Facet joints connect each vertebra to the vertebra above and below it. They are paired synovial joints and are located on the back of each vertebral body. Facet joints control the amount and direction of spinal movement and can be injured causing back pain by hyperextension, excessive twisting, lifting or straining. Facet joints are often a source of back pain.

The intervertebral discs are located between each vertebra allowing for bending, twisting and shock absorption. Between and padding each block (spinal vertebra) is a fibrous disc. The disc can be compared to a jelly doughnut - a jelly-like substance on the inside and tough tissue on the outside.
The outside of a disc is made up of a tough fibrous tissue called the annulus fibrosis and the inside of a disc is a soft gelatinous substance known as the nucleus pulposis. Lining the tops and bottoms of each vertebral body is a cartilaginous vertebral end plate. The discs allow for flexibility in your spine. They assist the muscles as shock absorbers, and provide cushioning between the vertebrae.