After the common cold, the most common reason Americans miss work is back pain. Unfortunately, once you have experienced back strain or injury, it can easily become a recurring problem. Many cases of back strain are due to the way we live—sitting at desks all day, hunched over a computer, with little physical activity. Unless […]
That pain you feel when turning your head while backing up your car is probably due to tightness in the muscles of your neck and upper back, often the result of years of poor posture. To improve your posture, keep your neck in a “neutral” position, with your chin more tucked in than pushed forward. […]
Back pain can put a severe crimp in your daily activities. One cause of such pain is a herniated disc, also called a slipped or ruptured disc. A common condition of the lower back that seldom requires surgery, herniated discs are most common in women and men aged 30 to 50 years, although they also […]
One reason back surgery “fails” is that the area operated on was not, in fact, the area causing the pain. Because the back and its nerves are so complex, this often cannot be foreseen before surgery. In fact, back surgery more commonly alleviates leg pain than back pain, because it is easier to trace leg […]
After the common cold, lower back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor. Although lower back pain is easy to recognize, its causes are many, varied and often unclear. Thus, one of the greatest challenges facing physical therapists is to match the suspected cause of the pain with the best […]
If you have lingering back pain that becomes worse with prolonged sitting, you may have a spinal compression fracture. Though this sounds alarming, it is much more common than people realize, affecting approximately 700,000 Americans every year. The good news: In most cases, it can be treated without surgery. As we age, our bones become […]
If you have suffered from acute or chronic pain—including tendinitis, bursitis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia or recurrent back pain—you may have been treated with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). This frequently used treatment is widely considered safe for many conditions. In fact, you may have even seen inexpensive units marketed for home use. Can at-home electrical stimulation […]
If you suffer from recurring back pain, you have plenty of company. Back pain is one of the most common and universal health complaints among adults. Its causes are often unclear, and solutions that work wonders for some individuals may be completely ineffective for others. Not surprisingly, some sufferers have adopted habits that provide pain […]
Cervical discs act as shock absorbers between the cervical vertebrae, allowing your neck to move freely. After a diseased or otherwise damaged intervertebral disc has been removed during surgical decompression of the spinal cord or nerve root, an artificial cervical disc can be inserted between two cervical vertebrae, preserving motion. The procedure is reserved for […]
The thought of “breaking your back” is pretty scary, but more than 700,000 people a year fracture their spines and do not even realize it. In fact, many of them brush off the symptoms (backaches, loss of flexibility and a tendency to appear “hunched”) as a normal part of aging. While such fractures may not […]
