Results on The Use of Adalimubab in The Treatment of Sciatica Uncertain.

If any back pain information blog readers are using adalimubab as a treatment for their sciatica you may well find this article by Janice Kelly on the medscape.com website of some interest. You need to sign up for a free account for medscape if you don't have one, but it's a good site and well worth while with lots of good information.

For those of us (myself included) who don't know much about this drug I'll give you this brief description from the arthritisresearchuk.org website:

"Adalimubab (brand name Humira) is a type of drug known as anti-TNF (anti-tumour necrosis factor). In people with rheumatoid arthritis and some other inflammatory diseases a protein called TNF is overproduced in the body, causing inflammation and damage to bones, cartilage and tissue. Anti-TNF drugs block the action of TNF and so can reduce this inflammation".

If you want to learn more about it then I recommend going to their webpage here.

Anyway, there has been an ongoing trial of Adalimubab in Switzerland, by Dr. Genevay, from the Division of Rheumatology at University Hospitals of Geneva.
The follow up data from this trial after three years has shown no difference in leg pain or back pain in the treated versus placebo groups. They did however find a significant decrease in the need for back surgery. An impressive 61% decrease in fact.

The results are, as one would expect, controversial, and the study has it's detractors. But this is interesting stuff and could well lead to useful treatments in the future. 

Could PRP Be an Effective Treatment for Chronic Back Pain?

There really is some fascinating stuff out there. Some of which borders on the bizarre. I'm not sure about this particular item I found on arthritistoday.org this week, but I thought I'd pass it on for what it's worth.

It seems a relatively new therapy, called Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) is gaining popularity in some circles for the treatment of chronic pain.

This particular story focuses on a woman with chronic knee pain (brings back memories), but there seems to be no reason why it could not work for many types of chronic pain, including back pain.

I have found on furthur research that it has even been used to good effect to treat racehorses with inflammation and conformation problems affecting their soundness.

Now I am always inclined to give credence to results obtained on animals as there is not much likelihood of the results being in the mind of the patient. It either works or it doesn't.

The process itself is relatively simple. Involving drawing off some of the patients blood, centrifuging it to separate the components and injecting the platelet rich plasma portion back into the patient in the affected area.

As I say, I'm in two minds about this, but I'm sure that many treatments we use and take for granted today were probably controversial in their day. Smallpox vaccination springs to mind.

Still, if you want to have a look, go here.

Positive Thinking Is As Good as Painkillers for Your Back Pain!

Research shows that positive thinking can be as helpful in treating back pain as painkillers, physiotherapy, and surgery.

So says an article by Sadie Nicholas on the Daily Mail website. I guess many readers will know only too well the frustration of inneffective treatments for chronic back pain. leading to associated, and potentially worse conditions such as depression and anxiety.

The fact that often powerful painkillers do not provide effective relief has led researchers at Warwick University to consider if something as seemingly mechanical as back pain could really be rooted in the mind.

Their research shows that backpain patients given a form of counselling called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) showed double the improvement of patients who received standard forms of treatment alone.

It does seem quite promising. And even for those who doubt the value of this kind of thing. These are impressive results from a respected bona-fide research team.

The story is worth a look. With case studies, and seven things you can try at home. Find it here.

Pine Bark can Reduce your Knee Pain and Perhaps Back Pain Too!

According to an article on the Medical News Today website it has been found that a substance naturally occuring in pine bark, Pycnogenol, reduced pain by as much as 43% in a trial involving 35 volunteers suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee. It also reduced stiffness by 35%.

That sounds pretty impressive to me, and as a fan of the use of naturally occurring substances to control and relieve pain I look forward to furthur developments. Especially if it is applied to back pain as osteoarthritis of the spine is a major cause of back problems.

You do have to wonder how these things are found. I mean did someone just decide to have a chew on a tree because they were in pain?

To read the full article use this link.

Don't Forget About Aspirin for Back Pain.

I suppose for most of us, of a certain age anyway, our earliest experience of pain relief  would be the administering of aspirin by a parent.

I still use good old aspirin myself occasionally. Apparently in 1500 BC the Egyptians were using infusions of myrtle leaves to relieve back pain. Myrtle leaves contain salycylic acid, the main ingredient of aspirin.

I know that every now and again we here a bad report about it, but the fact remains that it really is a bit of a wonder drug, and it's still available pretty much everywhere without prescription. I wonder how many of todays "miracle pills" will still be around after over 100 years?

Although not specifically about back pain as such, I have given myself a broad remit, and I thought readers may be interested in this story by Virginia Blackburn on the express.co.uk website.

It makes totally absorbing reading, and if you thought you knew everything about aspirin read this and I bet you'll learn something new.

Zen and The Art of Back Pain Management.

According to an article in sciencedaily.com research performed at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center shows that slow breathing at a controlled rate can significantly reduce the pain felt by chronic pain sufferers.

This does seem to bear out previous findings that Zen meditation and yogic breathing can have a beneficial effect on pain levels. Back pain being no exception.

I suppose if you think about it we quite often instinctively do this. I know that if I have skinned a knuckle or hit a finger with a hammer, after the expletive I have often taken a deep breath, let it out slowly, maybe a couple of times. Perhaps we should try it consciously.

You can read the full article here.

Back Pain and Backpacks.

This is what I like, when back pain information blog readers make my life easy by sending me useful stuff that I can use.

A little while ago Charles Holbert of submitinfographics.com sent me an infographic they had produced all about back packs and their role in back problems.

I thought this looked pretty good and might well be of use to those of us who carry/wear backpacks. I can be even lazier here and quote directly from the introduction to the infographic, which I reproduce below. I hope you find it informative and useful.

"It’s pretty common for students of all ages, sizes and shapes to use backpacks to carry their books, lunches, laptops and whatever else they can squeeze in them. They are very convenient and give both of your hands freedom to do whatever you want. But, is it worth it?

Research shows that backpacks may actually be harming you, due to improper usage, over packing and choosing the wrong kind. There are things you should take into consideration before choosing a backpack that will help you avoid causing any back pain, such as padding on the back of the backpack, chest or waist belts, and backpacks with pockets on both sides.

Go here to learn about statistics, how to avoid back pain and remedies for it, and the benefits of wearing a backpack correctly".

Micro Spine Implant on Way to Stop Back Pain.

This article by Chris Burns on the slashgear.com website caught my eye a while ago. I think it will be of great interest to chronic back pain sufferers.

It seems that a team of Australian researchers are well on the way to completing development of a micro implant that will block pain signals to the brain.

We have heard of similar things before, but the difference with this  one is that it really is tiny. The implant itself being not much bigger than the head of a match, and the external box the size of a matchbox.
 
The really clever thing is that it is also selective in the pain it blocks. It only blocks constant pain so the useful warning pains such as being poked in the back with something sharp will still get through. 

When fully developed the researchers say that as well as back pain it could help with leg pain, pain from nerve damage, migraines, Parkinson’s disease tremors, and epileptic seizures!
 
Sounds very promising. To read the full article go here.

Gadget Obsession is Causing Postural Problems.

"A survey by the British Chiropractic Association has found that one in four of us complain of a sore neck, back or shoulder due to using or carrying gadgets. Not surprising when you consider that two-thirds carry at least two items of technology around with them. A typical notebook, smartphone and e-reader have a combined weight of 2Kg or 4.4lbs."

So says this story on the dailymail.co.uk website by Claire Bates. Modern day Britons are becoming increasingly obsessed with technological gadgets and it's causing us problems.

Laptops are seen to cause the most problems, but tablets and smartphones are also right up there in the running.

Although this online survey of over 2,000 adults was commissioned a couple of years ago in order to support Backcare Awareness Week (17th - 23rd October 2011) it does offer some excellent advice on how to avoid these postural problems when using these devices. Find out what you can do here.