Ah yes, the age old question for back pain sufferers. And whilst much bad back pain has no specific cause, as many of this back pain blog readers will frustratingly know only too well, there are plenty of instances when the cause can be identified. An important step towards effective treatment.
To that end, as an interesting article and video on the science daily.com website highlights, doctors have recently returned to a decades old test which has proved it's effectiveness as a diagnostic tool for back problems with new research.
The test is an electromyogram (EMG) which in simple terms measure the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. The beauty of the EMG, as oposed to an MRI scan which just takes a picture of say, the spine, is that it registers electrical activity in the muscles surrounding the spine.
According to Andrew Haig, a physician and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan Health System, “Taking a photo of a car with a dent in it isn’t going to tell you whether the radio works, and taking a photo of an old spine isn’t going to tell you if it hurts.”
The test can potentially rule out disc problems, and has almost zero false positives. Thus avoiding back surgery when it is unnecessary. The fact that the EMG test is significantly cheaper than an MRI also makes it a very useful option.
The slight drawback that EMG results are more difficult to interpret than a standard MRI does put some practitioners off using it. But Professor Haig is convinced that there is no good reason why doctors should avoid the test as a cheap and effective way of pinpointing the source of a serious back pain.
To read the full article and watch the video go here.
Saturday, 28 September 2013
Thursday, 26 September 2013
The Most Common Causes of Herniated Discs and How to Avoid Them
Occasionally I am approached by someone who would like to post a guest post on this blog, and if I feel that it would be of interest to my readers I'm more than happy to oblige. Let's face it, that's less work for me!
So today this guest post article was provided by Paul Kowalski, who is the VP of marketing at Hydrocision. SpineJet is a proven new technology that harnesses the power of water for herniated disc treatment for chronic lower back pain.
I think this is very interesting stuff. I hope you enjoy it.
Have you or someone you love been diagnosed with a herniated disc? If you’ve been suffering from lower back pain for some time, then it might be a relief to finally have a name for your condition.
However, now you may have more questions than answers. How did this happen? Did it result from an injury or some repeated activity? Is there a cure? Could you have prevented it? Before you can begin to evaluate the treatment options that are available for a herniated disc, it is important to understand exactly what it is and what may have caused it. Furthermore, knowing the most common causes of herniated discs is also the best way to reduce the risk of it happening again.
Your spine consists of a stack of bones called the vertebrae, which extend from the base of your skull all the way down to your tailbone, or coccyx. The vertebrae design provides flexible support for your body while at the same time protecting the spinal cord, which is the central nervous tissue housed inside of the vertebral column.
Between each of the vertebrae are discs that serve to cushion them from the constant impact of body movement. A “herniation” occurs when one of these discs ruptures, which can put pressure on the adjacent nerve and cause severe pain. Herniated discs are actually quite common and affect 1 in 3 adults. However, only 3% of those produce painful symptoms that require treatment.
So what causes an intervertebral disc to herniate? Unfortunately, Time is a major factor in disc herniation, as the discs in the spine naturally degenerate and become thinner with age. While you may not be able to turn back the clock, three are steps you can take to protect your precious discs from the following common risk factors for herniation.
Heavy Lifting
Many of the worst back injuries occur as a result of heavy lifting. When a person lifts a load heavier than what he or she is capable of handling, the back is the most vulnerable part of the body. Injuries caused by heavy lifting, including herniated discs, usually occur in the lower back around the fifth lumbar vertebra. Some people find that stretching helps to alleviate the pain caused by heavy lifting injuries. Others prefer water treatment therapy. You can prevent these kinds of back injuries by improving the strength of your abdominal muscles, always squatting down to lift rather than bending over, and avoiding
heavy lifting altogether.
Athletic Injury
Athletes can develop herniated discs from experiencing a traumatic strain on the back or simply the daily wear and tear of their sports. If the ruptured disc pinches the sciatic nerve, this can result in shooting pain throughout the lower back and down the leg. Common treatments for sciatica pain include massage, application of heat, water treatment therapy, and rest. Proper training and stretching are the best ways to prevent sports-related herniated discs. Athletes must care for their bodies appropriately and not overdo it out on the field.
Repetitive Vibratory Motion
Truck drivers and large machine operators are at a greater risk of developing herniated discs due to the repeated up-and-down motion they undergo on a daily basis. The constant vibration puts tremendous pressure on the spine and causes the intervertebral discs to degenerate prematurely. Pain resulting from repetitive motion injuries is often treated with medication and physical therapy, and sometimes minimally invasive spine surgery may be warranted. People who do this kind of work should take frequent breaks and wear protective braces to support their backs and prevent disc rupture.
Millions of people live with herniated discs, and new treatments are emerging every day. Whether your intervertebral disc ruptured because of a back injury or simply due to age, you don’t have to suffer with the pain any longer. Non-surgical solutions are available including medication, exercise, and various physical therapies like water treatment therapy.
If, after trying these treatment alternatives, your doctor feels that minimally invasive spine surgery is the best option, then be sure to ask him/her about SpineJet. SpineJet is a new hydrosurgery tool that uses a thin, supersonic stream of water rather than a laser or blade. This new technology allows the surgeon to perform major surgeries more quickly, safely, and easily and with fewer risks of complications than ever before. If all else fails, SpineJet may be the solution for your herniated disc.
So today this guest post article was provided by Paul Kowalski, who is the VP of marketing at Hydrocision. SpineJet is a proven new technology that harnesses the power of water for herniated disc treatment for chronic lower back pain.
I think this is very interesting stuff. I hope you enjoy it.
However, now you may have more questions than answers. How did this happen? Did it result from an injury or some repeated activity? Is there a cure? Could you have prevented it? Before you can begin to evaluate the treatment options that are available for a herniated disc, it is important to understand exactly what it is and what may have caused it. Furthermore, knowing the most common causes of herniated discs is also the best way to reduce the risk of it happening again.
Your spine consists of a stack of bones called the vertebrae, which extend from the base of your skull all the way down to your tailbone, or coccyx. The vertebrae design provides flexible support for your body while at the same time protecting the spinal cord, which is the central nervous tissue housed inside of the vertebral column.
Between each of the vertebrae are discs that serve to cushion them from the constant impact of body movement. A “herniation” occurs when one of these discs ruptures, which can put pressure on the adjacent nerve and cause severe pain. Herniated discs are actually quite common and affect 1 in 3 adults. However, only 3% of those produce painful symptoms that require treatment.
So what causes an intervertebral disc to herniate? Unfortunately, Time is a major factor in disc herniation, as the discs in the spine naturally degenerate and become thinner with age. While you may not be able to turn back the clock, three are steps you can take to protect your precious discs from the following common risk factors for herniation.
Heavy Lifting
Many of the worst back injuries occur as a result of heavy lifting. When a person lifts a load heavier than what he or she is capable of handling, the back is the most vulnerable part of the body. Injuries caused by heavy lifting, including herniated discs, usually occur in the lower back around the fifth lumbar vertebra. Some people find that stretching helps to alleviate the pain caused by heavy lifting injuries. Others prefer water treatment therapy. You can prevent these kinds of back injuries by improving the strength of your abdominal muscles, always squatting down to lift rather than bending over, and avoiding
heavy lifting altogether.
Athletic Injury
Athletes can develop herniated discs from experiencing a traumatic strain on the back or simply the daily wear and tear of their sports. If the ruptured disc pinches the sciatic nerve, this can result in shooting pain throughout the lower back and down the leg. Common treatments for sciatica pain include massage, application of heat, water treatment therapy, and rest. Proper training and stretching are the best ways to prevent sports-related herniated discs. Athletes must care for their bodies appropriately and not overdo it out on the field.
Repetitive Vibratory Motion
Truck drivers and large machine operators are at a greater risk of developing herniated discs due to the repeated up-and-down motion they undergo on a daily basis. The constant vibration puts tremendous pressure on the spine and causes the intervertebral discs to degenerate prematurely. Pain resulting from repetitive motion injuries is often treated with medication and physical therapy, and sometimes minimally invasive spine surgery may be warranted. People who do this kind of work should take frequent breaks and wear protective braces to support their backs and prevent disc rupture.
Millions of people live with herniated discs, and new treatments are emerging every day. Whether your intervertebral disc ruptured because of a back injury or simply due to age, you don’t have to suffer with the pain any longer. Non-surgical solutions are available including medication, exercise, and various physical therapies like water treatment therapy.
If, after trying these treatment alternatives, your doctor feels that minimally invasive spine surgery is the best option, then be sure to ask him/her about SpineJet. SpineJet is a new hydrosurgery tool that uses a thin, supersonic stream of water rather than a laser or blade. This new technology allows the surgeon to perform major surgeries more quickly, safely, and easily and with fewer risks of complications than ever before. If all else fails, SpineJet may be the solution for your herniated disc.
Monday, 23 September 2013
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Relief Device On The Way.
Lumbar spinal stenosis affects more than 4 million people in the USA alone, who are left with debilitating lower back pain even after conventional therapies, but do not wish to seek surgical intervention such as fusion.
So says a report on news channel wfmz.com, reporting on Applied Spine Technologies milestone of their 100th patient enrolled in the clinical trial of their Stabilimax NZ Dynamic Spine Stabilization System.
Sounds a bit of a mouthful, but to keep it simple, it's a device impanted in the lower back to support injured or degenerated spines.
Unlike spinal fusion the Stabilimax is designed to treat the patients leg and back pain whilst preserving motion in the spine, a more natural solution.
At the moment this device is at the evaluation and investigative stage only. The company is expecting to eventually enroll 400 participants in the trial, comparing the Stabilimax VZ treatment to spinal fusion surgery in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.
This looks very promising. Read the unabridged version here.
So says a report on news channel wfmz.com, reporting on Applied Spine Technologies milestone of their 100th patient enrolled in the clinical trial of their Stabilimax NZ Dynamic Spine Stabilization System.
Sounds a bit of a mouthful, but to keep it simple, it's a device impanted in the lower back to support injured or degenerated spines.
Unlike spinal fusion the Stabilimax is designed to treat the patients leg and back pain whilst preserving motion in the spine, a more natural solution.
At the moment this device is at the evaluation and investigative stage only. The company is expecting to eventually enroll 400 participants in the trial, comparing the Stabilimax VZ treatment to spinal fusion surgery in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.
This looks very promising. Read the unabridged version here.
Saturday, 21 September 2013
Three Everyday Items You Can Use to Ease Your Back Pain.
I love to find items like this article by Dr. Jay Adlersberg on the abc local.go.com website.
In it he details just how you can use three cheap and easily obtainable items to treat your bad back yourself at home.
Dr. Adlersberg has done this himself and found it effective. All you need are a lacrosse ball, a stick (two handles and some plastic rollers), and a foam roller. Regarding the lacrosse ball, I personally have found a tennis ball to be very effective and a lot cheaper and more easily obtainable (here in UK anyway).
There's a video on the article page which explains it much better than I can, and shows you how to use them to best effect. Together with links to sites where you can find more exercises to do with them.
Good, practical stuff and well worth a look. Oh, you may have to sit through a 10 second ad before the video proper starts, but it's worth it. Go here.
In it he details just how you can use three cheap and easily obtainable items to treat your bad back yourself at home.
Dr. Adlersberg has done this himself and found it effective. All you need are a lacrosse ball, a stick (two handles and some plastic rollers), and a foam roller. Regarding the lacrosse ball, I personally have found a tennis ball to be very effective and a lot cheaper and more easily obtainable (here in UK anyway).
There's a video on the article page which explains it much better than I can, and shows you how to use them to best effect. Together with links to sites where you can find more exercises to do with them.
Good, practical stuff and well worth a look. Oh, you may have to sit through a 10 second ad before the video proper starts, but it's worth it. Go here.
Monday, 16 September 2013
Back Pain in Children and Teens.
I never really thought about this until I chanced upon an article by Dr. Mohan Krishna on the medwonders.com website.
I suppose it's true that we tend to think of back pain as an adult condition. However Dr. Krishna makes the point that studies have shown that nearly half of school-age children have a sore back.
This is often put down as "growing pains" due to the myth that backpain is rare in children. However back problems in children need to be evaluated with more than usual thoroughness, by a specialist if need be, as the chances of a serious condition developing are more common in children.
Younger children are less likely to put mechanical stress on their back than teenagers, so their back problems are more likely to be of a non-mechanical nature and potentially more serious (infection, deformity, tumours etc.).
It is therefore appropriate to investigate back pain in children at a much lower threshold. And he goes on to list some red flag signs when such investigation would be justified.
This makes good reading, especially if you have teens or younger children in your family and they complain of back problems. You can go to the article here.
I suppose it's true that we tend to think of back pain as an adult condition. However Dr. Krishna makes the point that studies have shown that nearly half of school-age children have a sore back.
This is often put down as "growing pains" due to the myth that backpain is rare in children. However back problems in children need to be evaluated with more than usual thoroughness, by a specialist if need be, as the chances of a serious condition developing are more common in children.
Younger children are less likely to put mechanical stress on their back than teenagers, so their back problems are more likely to be of a non-mechanical nature and potentially more serious (infection, deformity, tumours etc.).
It is therefore appropriate to investigate back pain in children at a much lower threshold. And he goes on to list some red flag signs when such investigation would be justified.
This makes good reading, especially if you have teens or younger children in your family and they complain of back problems. You can go to the article here.
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Whales With Back Pain - Whatever Next!
In the immortal words of Monty Python, "and now for something completely different." It's not just us humans that suffer back problems.
I found this story by Dwayne Bevil on the Orlando Sentinel website and couldn't resist passing it on. If you think you have back problems how do you think a whale would feel?
Vets and other animal experts are making news by fitting a 1000 pound female pilot whale with a custom brace to help her severe scoliosis.
The whale, who has been called "300" for some reason, was one of several who beached themselves in the Florida Keys in May 2011. She was taken to SeaWorlds Cetation Rehabilitation Facility where she developed severe scoliosis, making it difficult for her to swim normally.
She has been given physical therapy by staff three times a day, but about four weeks ago SeaWorld called in orthopaedic spine surgeon Dr. Philip Meinhardt. He, together with Scott Saunders, president of ABC Prosthetics and Orthotics, created a brace to try to correct the deformity.
Well, you read this and watch the video and I have to say it makes you think. Quite amazing. Go here to check it out.
I found this story by Dwayne Bevil on the Orlando Sentinel website and couldn't resist passing it on. If you think you have back problems how do you think a whale would feel?
Vets and other animal experts are making news by fitting a 1000 pound female pilot whale with a custom brace to help her severe scoliosis.
The whale, who has been called "300" for some reason, was one of several who beached themselves in the Florida Keys in May 2011. She was taken to SeaWorlds Cetation Rehabilitation Facility where she developed severe scoliosis, making it difficult for her to swim normally.
She has been given physical therapy by staff three times a day, but about four weeks ago SeaWorld called in orthopaedic spine surgeon Dr. Philip Meinhardt. He, together with Scott Saunders, president of ABC Prosthetics and Orthotics, created a brace to try to correct the deformity.
Well, you read this and watch the video and I have to say it makes you think. Quite amazing. Go here to check it out.
Friday, 13 September 2013
Operation To Cure Lower Back Pain In An Hour.
Regular readers of this back pain blog will know that I am not a big fan of back surgery. Not least because it is a fact that in most cases it fails.
However, I am not dogmatic about it, an open mind is a healthy mind and all that! So it was very refreshing to read on the Daily Mail.co.uk website of a technique being successfully used by a surgical unit at Kings College Hospital London to treat back problems caused by slipped and/or bulging discs.
The procedure, keyhole endoscopic surgery, involves making a tiny (5mm) incision 10mm to the side of the spine, and an endoscope is guided to the trouble spot with the aid of x-rays.
Surgical instruments are then put down the centre of the tube to cut away the problem area of the disc and retrieve the debris.
The whole thing takes only about an hour, usually under local anaesthetic, and there are not even any stitches. The patient can go home within hours and there is not even a scar after a couple of months.
With an impressive 95% success rate this treatment has many advantages for both the patient and the NHS.
Consultant spinal neurosurgeon at Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust, Irfan Malik, says that for one in 20 people he sees with back pain a slipped disc is the cause, and is convinced that in the future this procedure will become the standard method of treating patients with back pain problems.
Whatever your views on back surgery this procedure is something that seems to offer real promise, although it has to be said that so far only 20 patients have undergone it.
To read this very comprehensive article, which covers an actual case study of a patient operated on by Mr. Malik, and the result, click here.
However, I am not dogmatic about it, an open mind is a healthy mind and all that! So it was very refreshing to read on the Daily Mail.co.uk website of a technique being successfully used by a surgical unit at Kings College Hospital London to treat back problems caused by slipped and/or bulging discs.
The procedure, keyhole endoscopic surgery, involves making a tiny (5mm) incision 10mm to the side of the spine, and an endoscope is guided to the trouble spot with the aid of x-rays.
Surgical instruments are then put down the centre of the tube to cut away the problem area of the disc and retrieve the debris.
The whole thing takes only about an hour, usually under local anaesthetic, and there are not even any stitches. The patient can go home within hours and there is not even a scar after a couple of months.
With an impressive 95% success rate this treatment has many advantages for both the patient and the NHS.
Consultant spinal neurosurgeon at Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust, Irfan Malik, says that for one in 20 people he sees with back pain a slipped disc is the cause, and is convinced that in the future this procedure will become the standard method of treating patients with back pain problems.
Whatever your views on back surgery this procedure is something that seems to offer real promise, although it has to be said that so far only 20 patients have undergone it.
To read this very comprehensive article, which covers an actual case study of a patient operated on by Mr. Malik, and the result, click here.
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Back Pain Affects Your Balance.
The fact that back pain can affect your balance is not new. I guess most readers of this back pain blog will have experienced times when their back problem has put them out of balance to some degree.
However, Chiropractor Alex Ruhe, a PhD candidate at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, has recently for the first time demonstrated a directly proportional, or linear, relationship between back pain and bad balance.
Reporting on medical express.com he states "Our research shows that sufferers of neck, mid-back and low back pain sway significantly more than healthy individuals.
To some of us this may seem self-evident, and possibly a waste of time, spending time and resources on research to tell us something we already know. But there is actually a practical use for this knowledge.
As Ruhe says "this research marks an important finding for clinicians. It serves as an objective monitoring tool for patients suffering from back pain under treatment and rehabilitation."
The research may also be of use in the treatment of back pain in the elderly, who already may have balance problems.
It makes interesting reading. If you want to read the full article use this link.
However, Chiropractor Alex Ruhe, a PhD candidate at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, has recently for the first time demonstrated a directly proportional, or linear, relationship between back pain and bad balance.
Reporting on medical express.com he states "Our research shows that sufferers of neck, mid-back and low back pain sway significantly more than healthy individuals.
To some of us this may seem self-evident, and possibly a waste of time, spending time and resources on research to tell us something we already know. But there is actually a practical use for this knowledge.
As Ruhe says "this research marks an important finding for clinicians. It serves as an objective monitoring tool for patients suffering from back pain under treatment and rehabilitation."
The research may also be of use in the treatment of back pain in the elderly, who already may have balance problems.
It makes interesting reading. If you want to read the full article use this link.
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Yoga for Back Pain - The Case for It.
Back pain information blog readers will no doubt recall my post of a couple of months ago in which I highlighted a story that said yoga was no better than stretching for back pain. If you want to remind yourself you can find it at this link.
Anyway, in the interests of fairness, and because I am personally a fan of, and believer in, the benefits of yoga, today we'll put the other side using an article by Michelle Fiscus, contributor to hearndon patch.com.
Apparently the findings of several studies, all released within a week of each other, suggest that when treating back pain you may be better off signing up to a yoga class than going to the doctor.
In one British study, whose findings incidentally were mirrored by a similar study at the University of Washington, chronic back pain sufferers were divided into two groups.
One group was given a 12 week course of yoga. The other group received standard back care from a medical professional.
After 3 months the yoga group were able to take part in 30% more activities than the group given standard back treatment.
The differences between the groups was marked. With the yoga group experiencing a reduction in pain, were able to walk faster, stand for extended periods of time, and dress without assistance.
The study concluded that yoga provides both short and long term benefits to sufferers of chronic or recurrent back pain. With no serious side effects.
The article does make the point that not all yoga classes are the same, and it's not always easy to find a yoga instructor who specialises in back pain.
This is probably where the controversy arises between stretching and yoga. Stretching classes should be focused on a remedial preference. While a yoga class needs to be geared specifically for lower back pain.
So there we have it. You pays your money and you takes your choice. To read the full article click here.
Anyway, in the interests of fairness, and because I am personally a fan of, and believer in, the benefits of yoga, today we'll put the other side using an article by Michelle Fiscus, contributor to hearndon patch.com.
Apparently the findings of several studies, all released within a week of each other, suggest that when treating back pain you may be better off signing up to a yoga class than going to the doctor.
In one British study, whose findings incidentally were mirrored by a similar study at the University of Washington, chronic back pain sufferers were divided into two groups.
One group was given a 12 week course of yoga. The other group received standard back care from a medical professional.
After 3 months the yoga group were able to take part in 30% more activities than the group given standard back treatment.
The differences between the groups was marked. With the yoga group experiencing a reduction in pain, were able to walk faster, stand for extended periods of time, and dress without assistance.
The study concluded that yoga provides both short and long term benefits to sufferers of chronic or recurrent back pain. With no serious side effects.
The article does make the point that not all yoga classes are the same, and it's not always easy to find a yoga instructor who specialises in back pain.
This is probably where the controversy arises between stretching and yoga. Stretching classes should be focused on a remedial preference. While a yoga class needs to be geared specifically for lower back pain.
So there we have it. You pays your money and you takes your choice. To read the full article click here.
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Traditional Back Exercises May do More Harm Than Good.
Us back pain sufferers are often reminded of the virtues of exercise. So I was interested to find an article by Kathy Ekdahl, a cerified personal trainer, on the wicked local.com website with a slightly different point of view.
She makes the observation that many of the commonly used back exercises, especially those designed to strengthen lower back muscles, may actually do more harm than good.
She says sit-ups, weighted crunches, and weighted hyperextensions can be very risky for your back and that back health and stability is really created through exercises that strengthen the buttocks and abdominals.
The article was in response to a question asking about back strengthening exercises to improve back strength prior to winter snow shovelling in the U.S.
Although they do tend to have more of the stuff than us here in the UK, with last years winter apparently set to become the norm, and it being September already, I thought it was something we could learn from.
Kathy goes on to describe some safe back exercises as well as handy tips for snow shovelling. I personally try to avoid it as much as possible, as well as anything else that may aggravate my back pain.
But if you must shovel snow, you could do well to read the full article here.
She makes the observation that many of the commonly used back exercises, especially those designed to strengthen lower back muscles, may actually do more harm than good.
She says sit-ups, weighted crunches, and weighted hyperextensions can be very risky for your back and that back health and stability is really created through exercises that strengthen the buttocks and abdominals.
The article was in response to a question asking about back strengthening exercises to improve back strength prior to winter snow shovelling in the U.S.
Although they do tend to have more of the stuff than us here in the UK, with last years winter apparently set to become the norm, and it being September already, I thought it was something we could learn from.
Kathy goes on to describe some safe back exercises as well as handy tips for snow shovelling. I personally try to avoid it as much as possible, as well as anything else that may aggravate my back pain.
But if you must shovel snow, you could do well to read the full article here.
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