Back Pain

Watch Your Back!

Ben Parr — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:07:25 -0700

Do you sit in front of a computer nearly every day? Then you need to watch this important video to learn helpful ergonomic tips to protect your back!

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10 Best Laptop Setups

spine-health — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:53:07 -0700

In this day and age many people use their laptop as their primary computer, so it’s important to have it setup correctly in order to avoid back pain, neck pain, and other musculoskeletal injuries or strains. The problem is that laptop computers are designed with portability in mind rather than sound ergonomic principles.

14 Natural Pain Relievers

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:41:12 -0700

Many who live with chronic back pain would really love to be less dependent on painkillers to manage their pain. But how? Natural pain relievers may be the answer. Here’s a list that might help – each of these won’t be for everyone, but any number of these natural pain relievers might help you be able to rely less on pain medications and feel more in control of your life.

29 Best Travel Tips for Your Aching Back

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:17:09 -0700

Traveling is hard on our joints, muscles and nerves for two main reasons: 1) it requires us to use our bodies in ways they're not used to, such as hoisting luggage over our heads into the bin and yanking it off the moving baggage claim, and 2) it requires us to sit still for long periods, often in a cramped space. No wonder people with back pain and other types of pain avoid travel whenever possible.

31 Back Pain Tips Your Doctor Didn't Mention

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:25:11 -0700

Well, maybe you have a spectacular doctor who has all the time in the world to tell you how to care for your back. But just in case, we thought we’d compile a list of the most helpful tips that we’ve heard over the years – from doctors, physical therapists, nurses, and back pain patients. Some of these may seem contradictory – like using heat and ice – but the truth is that managing back pain is often a process of trial and error and most people have to try several options to see what works best for them.

Back Pain Remedies

38 Questions to Ask Your Surgeon Before Having Back Surgery

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:02:14 -0700

This subject comes up a lot in our forums - "I'm considering surgery, what questions should I ask my surgeon?" From articles on Spine-health.com and contributions from our discussion forum members, we've compiled a list that you can print up and take with you to your consultation. Good luck!

5 Tips for Flying Back Pain Free

Greg — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:11:03 -0700

With spring break around the corner, and travel season looming, many people with chronic back pain aren't looking forward to vacation; they're worried about how to manage the pain associated with a long flight.

56 Things to Do While Recovering from Surgery

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:43:11 -0700

About to undergo surgery?

Back Pain and Holiday Blues: 18 Tips to Reduce Your Holiday Stress

spine-health — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:00:24 -0800

Ah yes, the holidays are upon us once again, and with them the holiday blues. Not everyone is in festive spirits, especially those of us with chronic pain. Often, chronic back pain leads to depression, and alternately depression can worsen physical pain. The added anxiety and stress of all the holiday planning and expectations can intensify feelings of sadness.

Back Pain Sufferers: Avoid These 6 Common Mistakes

spine-health — Thu, 10 May 2007 16:16:08 -0700

If you have back pain, make sure you’re not inadvertently making your situation worse with the following common mistakes:

Mistake #1: Ignoring your pain for too long
While it’s true that low back pain usually gets better within a few weeks, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore it. Pay attention to the pain and go to spine specialist to get a diagnosis and treatment plan. With a correct diagnosis, you can start an appropriate exercise regimen that will minimize future pain.

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:

Chronic Back Pain and Wandering the Halls at 2:00 am

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:29:55 -0700

Two-thirds of Spine-health.com's visitors report having sleep problems, but ... so what? Spending the long nighttime hours wincing in pain while wandering from bed, to recliner, to couch, to simply roaming the house, and finally back to bed for one last short bit of sleep. That's the real story. Exhausting. Makes me tired just reading about it.

Recent excerpts from our message board explain the real challenges of sleep problems due to chronic pain:

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.

Cyber Hugs: How Online Support Groups Help with Chronic Pain

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 19:29:21 -0700

If you're dealing with chronic pain, you probably already know what a devastatingly lonely experience it can be. Even with the most supportive family and friends, you still feel alone, because they don't know – they can't know – what it's like to endure chronic pain each and every day of your life.

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:

For Health Information, Enter Wikipedia at Your Own Risk

spine-health — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:12:38 -0700

Thanks to KevinMD for highlighting a hilarious post by anesthesiology resident Michelle Au about residents using (aka misusing) Wikipedia to look up health information.

Get Your Back Pain Diagnosis from a Physiatrist

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:33:21 -0700

Whenever someone with bad back pain asks me where to get help, I say I would start with a diagnosis from a physiatrist who specializes in back pain. Here is why:

Most physiatrists can provide you with the broadest array of treatments for back pain:

Spinal injections (for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes)
Prescription pain medications and anti-inflammatories
Heat and ice and other pain modalities
Physical therapy

How and When to Get a Second Opinion Before Surgery

spine-health — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:39:46 -0700

It is often said that no one should have spine surgery unless they receive a second opinion from another surgeon. On the surface, this would sound like good old common sense, as two opinions are better than one. However, there is a trap in this line of thinking. When a patient sees a physician for a second opinion, this next opinion has a tendency to always sound smarter than the first opinion. This is a well-recognized phenomenon, but in reality the second opinion may not be the best one.

When should you get another opinion?

How to Help your Surgeon Help You

Tue, 01 May 2007 19:12:52 -0700

Anyone who has experienced chronic low back pain knows how frustrating it can be to find a doctor to help. From a surgeon's perspective, I often see patients who have seen multiple other doctors and physical therapists and have not had relief of their pain. (After all, if non-surgical treatment was working they wouldn't be coming to me to get a surgical opinion in the first place.)

How to Prevent Osteoporosis with a Once-a-Year Injection

spine-health — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:58:39 -0800

The need to take a once-a-day or even once-a-month osteoporosis medication may soon be eliminated. Recent studies indicate that a once-a-year osteoporosis injection of zoledronic acid like Reclast® can prevent spine fractures and hip fractures from Osteoporosis.

Is Your Pain Medication Prescribed Off-Label?

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

Laser Disc Decompression for Spinal Stenosis: Does it Work?

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:46:34 -0700

As a practicing spine surgeon, I am often asked by patients if their disc decompression surgery can be done with a laser. There is a perception by the general population that lasers are a modern, almost futuristic, up and coming technology. The reality is that lasers have been around for a long time and are almost completely useless when it comes to spine surgery.

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.

Lumbar Herniated Disc: Is Surgery Better?

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:04:33 -0700

A very large study, the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) has recently concluded and found that both surgical and non-surgical treatments tend to help patients with pain from a lumbar herniated disc. Due to problems with the study design, however, it is difficult to say much more than that.

Lyrica Helps with Restorative Sleep

spine-health — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:26:41 -0700

Just read about an interesting study that showed that Lyrica (pregabalin) helped the participants get more restorative sleep, not just fall asleep faster. Thanks to Dr. Steven Poceta, a neurologist, who explains on his Revolution Health blog:

New Hope for Smokers with Back Pain

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:15:12 -0700

There’s a unique drug now on the market for smokers trying to quit - Chantix (manufactured and distributed by Pfizer). It was actually approved by the FDA in May 2006 and given priority FDA review because of its significant potential benefit to public health.

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.

Pain is Inevitable. Suffering is Optional.

spine-health — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:19:08 -0700

That sentiment, from The Dalai Lama, sums up the gist of a lot of our message board posts. Contrary to what many people think (at least from what surgeons tell me), message boards aren’t just for people hopped up on pain meds or whining. At least on our board, positive thinking is rampant – exactly the kind of support that helps people with back pain deal better and heal better…

Question: Are You Depressed or Just Feeling Down?

spine-health — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:42:59 -0700

Everyone feels down once in awhile, and for many of us enduring stressful times in our lives, it can truly feel overwhelming. But how do you know if you’re clinically depressed and should see a professional for help? Clinical depression goes beyond what would be considered normal sadness or feeling bleak.

Take this questionnaire and put a check next to each statement that is true for you:

Sometimes Surgery is Quickest Path to Sciatica Pain Relief

spine-health — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:09:10 -0700

For severe sciatica pain, surgery is a valid option for pain relief, a new study shows. But researchers are also quick to point out that the study showed that typical sciatica will not worsen if surgery is delayed -- and that nonsurgical treatments can relieve at least some of the pain, especially leg pain.

The study, published in the May 31 New England Journal of Medicine, compared surgical treatment of back and leg pain (sciatica) caused by disc herniation.

Take Control of your Low Back Pain

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:57:36 -0700

Unlike some health conditions that need to be resolved as soon as possible (such as a broken bone), most forms of low back pain actually don't need to be fixed. Low back pain usually just needs to be managed - through a combination of pain management, specific types of exercise, nutrition and postural changes that protect the spine.

The Basics of Back Pain and Spinal Anatomy

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:19:43 -0700

Spinal anatomy is a remarkably intricate structure of strong bones, flexible ligaments and tendons, extensive muscles and highly sensitive nerves and nerve roots. Without question, the composition and function of the spine is a marvel of nature, providing us with a unique combination of:

Think Carefully About your Surgeon's Recommendations

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:26:57 -0700

Spinal fusion surgery for low back pain has gotten quite a bad reputation for delivering poor results. Because it is a painful, dangerous, and costly surgery, spine fusion should only be offered for the most severe symptoms and clearly defined pathology, but sadly this is not always the case.

Top Ten Reasons You Should Run from Your Surgeon

Tue, 08 May 2007 18:36:12 -0700

Read this before selecting a surgeon to operate on your back.

What Every Back Pain Patient Needs to Know

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:25:21 -0700

The old adage "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" applies in spades to treatment of back pain. Doctors tend to have a way of looking at a patient's problem in terms of what their skills can do - a surgeon evaluates patients in terms of whether or not they should have surgery, a pain medicine anesthesiologist will consider an injection, and a chiropractor will evaluate patients for manual manipulation therapy. So when a back pain patient goes to three different doctors, he or she will typically get three very different treatment recommendations.

What is Your Pain Rating Today?

spine-health — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:03:58 -0700

Exhausted and frustrated by this question at each checkup, our chronic pain community has gotten together and is requesting a better pain rating system. For many different reasons, the overwhelming consensus seems to be that the current one -- gauging your pain at one point in time on a scale of one to ten -- is just too simplistic.

Here are snippets from the discussion - very insightful:

The pain isn’t better but your body has adjusted to it

With Low Back Pain, Simple Remedies Are Often Best

Sat, 12 May 2007 20:20:41 -0700

Many of the e-mails I get from people visiting Spine-health.com ask “what’s new for back pain” or “what do you know about this new technology?” And I understand - it’s tempting to get caught up in seeking the newest, most sophisticated chronic pain treatments. But new technology isn’t always better. Sometimes it’s just the simple, tried and true therapies that help the most.