Research and Clinical Trials

Back Surgery Best for Patients with Degenerative Spondylolisthesis

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 17:53:41 -0700

The recently released results of the second SPORT study showed that patients who selected surgery to treat their lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis had better outcomes when compared with those who selected nonsurgical treatment. The study included two groups of patients:

Brain Imaging Shows how Pain Interferes with Concentration

spine-health — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:19:58 -0700

When experiencing pain, the lateral occipital complex (LOC) part of the brain is affected, interfering with the person's ability to concentrate and accurately identify visual images, according to new research published in the July 5 issue of Neuron.

Chronic Pain May Interfere with Memory

spine-health — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:23:46 -0700

One more problem with chronic pain: it may impede the brain’s ability to form and store memories, according to recent research.

In the study, 24 adults with chronic pain took simple memory tests at two different times: one test after having a procedure to relieve their pain (e.g. an epidural injection for chronic low back pain), and another on a day when they hadn't received any pain relieving procedure.

Does Pain Prefer Sweets?

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 13:00:26 -0700

For all of you with chronic pain who are thinking "yes, a pint of Ben & Jerry's really does help the pain", that's true - sweet tastes have been shown to increase pain tolerance, and now new research shows the same holds true for sweet smells. Quite simply, the perception of pain diminishes when one is smelling something sweet. ScienceBlogs explains the research:

How Chronic Back Pain Gets Stuck in Your Brain

spine-health — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:16:59 -0700

Dr. Vania Apkarian, a professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, published a study last year that revealed how chronic back pain actually registers in a different part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) than acute pain (the thalamus). Dr. Apkarian also found that the longer a person has been suffering from chronic pain, the more activity there was in the prefrontal cortex.

Is Your Pain Medication Prescribed Off-Label?

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:46:35 -0700

Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement Not Covered In People Over 60

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 12:00:42 -0700

Medicare has decided it will not pay for lumbar artificial disc replacements in people over 60 years of age. The reasoning for the CMS' (The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) decision is the lack of data on using such devices in the 60+ population, according to Scott Boden, MD, a Spine-health.com Medical Advisor.

Lyrica Approved to Treat Fibromyalgia

spine-health — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:14:57 -0700

On June 21 the FDA approved Lyrica (pregabalin) as the first drug specifically indicated to treat pain from fibromyalgia. Lyrica is an analgesic (pain relieving) and anit-convulsant medication that is also approved to treat chronic pain. The study results submitted to the FDA for approval showed that 30 to 60% of study participants experienced significant pain relief with Lyrica.

New Research on Interlaminar Epidural Steroid Injections for Back Pain and Sciatica

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:50:58 -0700

Recent reviews of clinical trials on the effectiveness of interlaminar epidural steroid injections for treatment of lower back pain and sciatica have concluded that the injections do not provide clinically meaningful pain relief in the short term and no pain relief in the long term.

New Study on Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:39:44 -0700

John at MyPHysicalTherapySpace points out an interesting new study on the effects of physical therapy on low back pain.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of physical therapy exercise sessions and advice vs. sham exercises and advice over a 12 month period for individuals with subacute low back pain (lasting longer than 6 weeks but less than 12 weeks).

Surgery best for degenerative spondylolisthesis

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 13:59:36 -0700

Randomized group – 304 patients

The Ultimate in Multi-Tasking - Lose Weight While Working at Your Desk

spine-health — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:48:49 -0700

If it works, this could be the best weight loss invention yet - the ability to easily burn almost 120 extra calories per hour while working at your computer.