Best back doctors in Baton Rouge... Go.

Dr. Champagne at Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group Picardy

You talking neuro or ortho?

You say lumbar, but the ribs are more thoracic area. Your neck pain and radiating pain could be causing some range of motion and strength limitations that put pressure on your facet joints. No spinal pathology on the MRI also suggests it could be a facet joint issue, which doesn’t necessarily reveal anything other than arthropathy (arthritis) on imaging.

If that’s the cause, facet injections and/or branch blocks/nerve burn would be treatment options. If it hurts in your back on extension (when you bend backward), it would also suggest facet mediated pain.

A good PT and some anti-inflammatories would be the 1st conservative measures to exhaust. If those don’t help, would ask about possible facet treatment in the form of those injections. Won’t be surgical without spinal pathology that causes neurological deficits or intractable pain (think wanting to die).

Also, DISCLAIMER, not a doctor but in a medical adjacent field

EDIT: Forgot you wanted doctor recommendations: You could go the orthopedic specialist or interventional pain management route for the facet injections. Baton Rouge Ortho or Bone and Joint Clinic are good. Dr. Scrantz at Neuromedical Center is a neurosurgeon, and although one of the best, isn’t likely to take much of an interest in a facet issue if it’s not surgical, which is doesn’t sound like it is.

Good pain management docs at Spine Diagnostic & Pain Treatment Center, Dr. Comeaux is also good at I think Interventional Spine Specialists off Airline (?).

I personally would stay away from an ortho starting out. They look to either operate or not operate. By the descriptions of your symptoms I would start with a Spine Diagnostic & Pain Treatment Center. All of your symptoms, specifically with the neck, leads me to believe that you caught quite a few stingers from your football playing days? I would agree with TigerR and would recommend Dr. Comeaux as that is who I used when I lived in BR. I typically got close to 1.5-2 years of relief with facet injections in conjunction with Physical Therapy. For PT, I would recommend Christian Bourgeois who is not to far down the road from Dr. Comeaux's office.

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I'm looking for some solutions, not addictive band-aids.

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If your MRI is negative, you probably have some facet mediated pain. Treatment for those are injections and RFAs.

Go see a pain management doctor.