About.com Back & Neck Pain

Arthritis of the Neck

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:28:11 +0000

Oh, the scourges of aging! In the neck, one of these is cervical spondylosis, aka arthritis of the neck. It is due to the formation of bone spurs, which often irritate nearby spinal nerves. Cervical spondylosis can get really painful in the case of myelopathy, that is, when the spinal cord is involved.

There are a number treatments for cervical spondylosis, and they are generally non-invasive. If you doctor tries to talk you into surgery, beware that going this route will likely take its toll on you, but whether it is the best option for pain relief remains questionable.

Arthritis of the Neck originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 12:28:11.

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Chiropractic - The Spine's Relationship to Your Overall Health

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:06:49 +0000

Many people think of chiropractors as merely back doctors. In reality, the chiropractic profession is built on the belief that spinal alignment affects the health of the whole body. Therefore, your chiropractor might treat your spine in order to bring about a variety of health benefits, including back health.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, about 18 million adults and 2 million children go to a chiropractor. While it's true that most visits are for common back conditions and injuries, here's an example of the chiropractic view of health in an ongoing research effort:

Researchers at the University of Chicago gave a particular type of chiropractic called NUCCA to patients taking medicine for their high blood pressure. NUCCA chiropractic specializes in adjusting only the top of the neck. They found a significant decrease in the amount of medication the patients needed after the manipulation. More studies on this connection are expected.

Chiropractic is considered to be a CAM therapy and so it takes your whole being into consideration. Is it right for you?

Chiropractic - The Spine's Relationship to Your Overall Health originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 15:06:49.

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Don't Get Post-Halloween Back Pain!

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:39:46 +0000

Photo:
Kameleon007

The thought of post-Halloween back pain may conjure images of taking the costumes back up to the attic or lugging heavy bags of candy. But let's not forget the extra weight you may be carrying from having eaten those Halloween treats! With the holidays approaching, be forewarned that back pain a very common problem for overweight people. Carrying extra pounds can increase your risk for developing several back disorders.

Don't Get Post-Halloween Back Pain! originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 23:39:46.

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Be a Writer for the Back and Neck Pain Site

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:36:12 +0000

If you are a spine surgeon or a surgical nurse specializing in spine who likes to write, About.com has an opportunity for you! As an About.com Contributing Writer, you will work with me to cover the sub-topic of spinal procedures and surgeries. You'll be responsible for producing about 15 short articles per month, and you can also write more than the minimum, if you want.

If you are interested in applying or learning more, please email your RESUME and a WRITING SAMPLE -- both IN THE BODY OF AN EMAIL -- to contributingwriters@about.com. Put the "Back and Neck Pain" in the subject line of the email. Good luck!

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Be a Writer for the Back and Neck Pain Site originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 22:36:12.

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Steroid Injections for Pregnancy Related Low Back Pain

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:20:32 +0000

Photo: jdurham

Are you pregnant with low back pain? One type of low back pain that's very common during childbearing is sacral pain. Experts think that when low back pain in this area begins during pregnancy, chances are you may be experiencing it long after your baby is born. About 10% of pregnant women with low back pain continue to experience disabling pain two years after delivery.

A new study, published in Spine found that a corticosteroid injection to the lowest part of the pelvis (called the ischial spine) relieved pain for 4 weeks in 36 women who had chronic pain that had begun while they were pregnant. The women made pain drawings and filled in visual analog scales to rate the intensity, frequency and location of their pain, and the researchers measured the differences in their marks before and after the injections. The women also had a clinical exam by both a physical therapist and a doctor.

_{Source:
Torstensson, T., MSc, RPT, Lingren, A., RPT, Kristiansson, P, MD, PhD. Corticosteroid Injection Treatment to the Ischiadic Spine Reduced Pain in Women with Long-Lasting Sacral Low Back Pain with Onset During Pregnancy. Spine. 2009.}

| Sacrum | Back Pain | Visual Analog Scale - VAS |

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Steroid Injections for Pregnancy Related Low Back Pain originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 16:20:32.

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Neck Surgeries in the Elderly on the Rise

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:31:24 +0000

A new data study shows that the rate of cervical spine fusions in elderly Medicare patients rose a whopping 206% between 1992 and 2005. Over 156,000 hospital records were reviewed for demographic information.

A cervical spine fusion is a surgery that unites two adjacent spinal bones by taking out the disc material. Sometimes a bone graft is used (as well as instrumentation) in order to accomplish what doctors call a "union" between the vertebrae in question.

Interestingly, the rate of increase for the neck operations was not the same across the nation. In Idaho, there were lots of surgeries: 14% to be exact. Contrast that with Washington, DC, where the rate was .004%. The researchers also found that the condition most often warranting the surgery was cervical spondylosis with myelopathy, which is a degenerative condition that affects the spinal cord. Fifty-two percent of those who got the fusion surgery were men, 88% were white and 41% were between the ages 65 and 69.

Another study done by the same researchers found that there was a significant risk of death for elderly people who had the surgery for cervical spondylosis with myleopathy. See a short video on spinal fusion.

| Cervical Spine Fusion | Back Pain | Bone Graft |

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Neck Surgeries in the Elderly on the Rise originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 17:31:24.

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The Daily Spine

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:32:01 +0000

If you subscribe to the Back and Neck Pain newsletter you may be aware of The Daily Spine, a special feature (at the bottom) that considers the routine challenges presented or made more difficult by back pain. The Daily Spine articles provide tips for better living despite the ache in your back or neck. Here are a few samples:

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The Daily Spine originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 17:32:01.

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Rats Overcome Paralysis Without Spinal Cord Nerve Regeneration

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:32:41 +0000

Photo: Argument

Recently, a study broke new ground in the body of knowledge around spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Previously scientists had been able to elicit limb movement in spinal cord injured people, but the movement did not involve weight bearing. This new study tested a combination of treatments that enabled paralyzed rats to use the treadmill in a nearly normal way. Study investigators say this discovery will have implications for people with spinal cord injuries.

The rats' treatments consisted of drugs, electrical stimulation and exercise. The rats were able to do a stepping like motion controlled by nerve activity (called circuits) that do not involve the use of the brain. If treatments are developed based on these findings, it could mean that regenerating nerves in the spinal cord is not necessary for patients to regain a lot of lost functionality.

_Sources:

1. Gr�goire Courtine, Yury Gerasimenko, Rubia van den Brand, Aileen Yew, Pavel Musienko, Hui Zhong, Bingbing Song, Yan Ao, Ronaldo M Ichiyama, Igor Lavrov, Roland R Roy, Michael V Sofroniew & V Reggie Edgerton. Transformation of nonfunctional spinal circuits into functional states after the loss of brain input. Nature Neuroscience, 2009; DOI: 10.1038/nn.2401

2. University of California - Los Angeles (2009, September 21). Scientists Make Paralyzed Rats Walk Again After Spinal-cord Injury. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com� /releases/2009/09/090920204455.htm

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Rats Overcome Paralysis Without Spinal Cord Nerve Regeneration originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 13:32:41.

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Bi-Partisan Pain Relief

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:40:59 +0000

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

While you may see a lot of bickering on the news reports about health care reform, there is some bipartisan work going on that could benefit people living with chronic pain, provided the bill passes. In June the National Pain Care Act of 2009, introduced by Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Orin Hatch (R-UT), and supported by the American Pain Foundation, was unanimously adopted by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions as one of the amendments to the healthcare reform bill.

What's sad, though, is that while Republicans have spent much time working up about 160 amendments to be included in health care reform for America, according to most news reports at least, more likely than not, none of them are planning on voting for it, no matter what. You may remember Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) from the Finance committee stating flat out that he just would not vote for a health care reform bill - even though he is a key author on the bill they plan to unveil this week. But I digress.

In the House the bill was H.R. 756; in the Senate it's S. 660. I blogged about it when the Pain Care Act was passed by the House, back in March.

Standing up for your rights is tough when you have pain because it's so isolating and draining. But September is Pain Awareness Month and there is strength in numbers, so let's look at a few ways you might be able to advocate for yourself and others while we wait for the Pain Care Act to (hopefully) become law. The American Pain Foundation has ideas:

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| House Passes National Pain Care Act 2009 | Back Pain | Pain Management |

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Bi-Partisan Pain Relief originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 13:40:59.

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Every Little Bit Helps - Pfizer Settlement Adds $2.3 Billion to US Treasury

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:00:13 +0000

For people who feel that health reform is going to be too expensive, another couple of billion just got added to the federal budget. Every little bit helps.

On September 2, pharma giant Pfizer issued a press release detailing a settlement with the Department of Justice for the marketing strategies they used for selling Bextra and a number of other drugs off-label without the FDA's approval. Bextra was a cox-2 inhibitor (type of NSAID) used for pain management, including back pain. Pfizer voluntarily took Bextra off the market in 2005 after it became evident that the drug's side effects included serious and even fatal cardiovascular problems. As mentioned above, the Pfizer-DOJ agreement was not limited to Bextra. Lyrica, a painkiller used for fibromyalgia and about 9 other drugs had been marketed inappropriately to the public.

| Vioxx Timeline | Back Pain | NSAIDs and Back Pain |

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Every Little Bit Helps - Pfizer Settlement Adds $2.3 Billion to US Treasury originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Monday, September 7th, 2009 at 22:00:13.

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