Our Convenient Locations
Canton Location
MI Express Urgent & Primary Care
44237 Michigan Ave Suite B, Canton, MI 48188
Monday - Friday : 9 AM - 7 PM
Saturday - Sunday : 10 AM - 6 PM
Ann Arbor Location
MI Express Urgent & Primary Care
80 S Zeeb Rd Unit 101 B, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Monday - Friday : 9 AM - 7 PM
Saturday - Sunday : 10 AM - 6 PM
Read This First
- Pain radiating below the knee
- Numbness or weakness in the leg or foot
- Pain lasting more than a couple of weeks
- Any loss of bladder or bowel control, which is a medical emergency. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Do not wait for a routine appointment.
Symptoms
Back pain symptoms vary quite a bit depending on the underlying cause, which is part of why the red flags above matter more than the general list below.
- Dull or sharp lower back pain
- Pain, numbness, or tingling radiating down one leg, commonly called sciatica
- Stiffness getting out of bed or up from a chair
- Pain that's worse with sitting or bending
What Causes It
Most everyday back pain traces back to soft tissue rather than the spine itself, though the two can be hard to tell apart without an exam.
- Muscle strain
- Disc irritation
- Sciatic nerve compression
- Prolonged sitting or poor posture
- Degenerative changes that come with age
What MI Express Urgent & Primary Care Treats, and What We Refer Out
MI Express Urgent & Primary Care treats musculoskeletal, soft-tissue contributors to back pain, things like muscle strain and minor sciatic nerve irritation from prolonged sitting or overuse. We do not perform spinal or epidural procedures. If your symptoms point to a disc problem or a neurological issue, such as numbness, weakness, or pain radiating below the knee, Dr. Azimi will refer you to a spine specialist rather than attempting to treat it here. Being upfront about that distinction matters more to us than trying to treat everything under one roof.
How We Treat Musculoskeletal Back Pain
Shockwave Therapy: a non-invasive option for musculoskeletal and soft-tissue contributors to back pain, not disc or nerve-root issues. No downtime, so you're not out of commission longer than the pain has already kept you.
PRP: the same scope limitation applies, considered only for soft-tissue contributors to your pain.
Steroid joint injection: spinal or epidural steroid injections are a different, more specialized procedure than the joint injections offered at MI Express Urgent & Primary Care. We do not perform spinal injections here.
If your evaluation points to a soft-tissue cause rather than a disc or nerve issue, Dr. Azimi will walk you through which of these options, if any, fits your specific situation, and will always be direct with you if a specialist referral is the better next step instead of treatment here.
Why MI Express Urgent & Primary Care
Candor about scope is the trust signal on this page more than anything else. We would rather tell you plainly what we treat and what needs a referral than imply we handle every back pain case under one roof. Dr. Umayr Azimi, MD, dual board-certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine, evaluates every back pain patient with that distinction in mind, at either our Canton or Ann Arbor location, with walk-in and same-week visits available seven days a week for patients who need to be seen quickly.
Book My AssessmentFrequently Asked Questions
Mild, muscle-related sciatic irritation can often be evaluated here. Symptoms involving numbness, weakness, or pain below the knee typically need a specialist referral instead.
Loss of bladder or bowel control, or sudden weakness in both legs, is a medical emergency. Go to the emergency room immediately rather than scheduling a routine visit.
Muscle strain usually stays localized to the back, while sciatica radiates pain down one leg due to nerve involvement. An exam can help determine which you have.
We do not perform spinal procedures for herniated discs. If your exam points to a disc issue, Dr. Azimi will refer you to an appropriate specialist.
