Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common types of pain involving the musculoskeletal system. Its sufferers may sometimes miss work or be unable participate in desired activities or social outings. It can even become so disabling that out of desperation, LBP patients visit the emergency room (ER) in search of relief.
There [..]
"Do you think a back brace will help my condition?" This is a question that is frequently asked of many healthcare providers who treat low back pain. The answers typically vary, as there is support for and against the use of a brace when low back pain is present. In a February 2009 study, researchers [..]
Have you ever considered who is the best suited to treat back pain? Since there are so many treatment options available today, it is quite challenging to make this decision without a little help. To facilitate, a study looking at this very question compared the effectiveness between medical and chiropractic intervention. Over a 4-year time [..]
Certain low back conditions can give rise to more than just lower back pain.To
understand this better, a short "anatomy lesson" is appropriate. The
spine can be divided into two halves: front and back. The structures in
the front half include the larger, heavier bones called vertebral bodies
and the shock absorbing cushions that lie [..]
Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common complaints presenting to chiropractic offices and remains one of the most challenging conditions to manage because there are so many causes. Some of its causes include the obvious such as over-lifting, over-use activities such as sports injuries (bowling, golfing, skiing, tennis, football, etc.), raking leaves, [..]
Have you ever had leg pain and immediately blamed your lower back? Many patients (and unfortunately, many doctors) conclude such pain to be "sciatica" or a "pinched nerve." When this diagnosis is wrong, it can lead to an inappropriate type of treatment which can delay more appropriate care, or worse, may result in death due [..]
If you have low back pain (LBP), you are certainly not alone. Almost everyone at some point has back pain that interferes with their work, daily activities, and/or recreation. Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on LBP-related treatments and it is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to [..]
A study published in 2008 has results that will make you wonder whether back surgery is always necessary .
In the study, researchers followed 102 patients with disk herniations
confirmed by MRI and sciatic/leg pain while they waited to see a spinal
surgeon. The patients had also previously tried four weeks of
medications (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory [..]
Most chiropractic patients with low back pain have x-rays taken of their lumbar spine following a comprehensive examination. Since x-rays do carry a very small risk of tissue damage, this risk needs to be outweighed by the benefits that could be gained by taking such films. So, how are x-rays used in a chiropractic office? [..]
Back problems can cause a good deal of worry and for good reason. Any problem that doesn't go away on its own in a reasonable period of time should be a cause for concern. Rarely, severe back pain can be caused by tumors and other destructive processes, so it's important to have these serious conditions [..]