Exercise prevents low back pain
A review of medical literature suggests that exercise, alone or in combination with education, may reduce the risk of low back pain, according to an
Back pain
Back pain may occur in the upper, middle, or lower back; it is most often experienced in the lower back. It may originate from the bones and ligaments forming the spine, the muscles and tendons supporting the back, the nerves that exit the spinal column, or even the internal organs.
Low back pain a major global disability
Low back pain causes more global disability than any other condition — Problem set to worsen with population increases and rising proportion of elderly – Low back pain causes more disability around the globe than any other condition, reveals researchers. As world population growth gathers pace, and the proportion of elderly rises, the problem is set to worsen over coming decades.
Massage therapy helps ease chronic low back pain
Massage eases low back pain in randomized controlled trial — Annals of Internal Medicine trial compared massage types at Group Health – The hour-long massage treatments (structural and relaxation massage) help people with back pain to function even after six months, reported in a new research. People who have persistent back pain may want to consider massage as an option.
Chronic low back pain treatment can reverse abnormal brain activity
No pain, big gain — Treatment of chronic low back pain can reverse abnormal brain activity and function – It likely comes as no surprise that low back pain is the most common form of chronic pain among adults. Lesser known is the fact that those with chronic pain also experience cognitive impairments and reduced gray matter in parts of the brain associated with pain processing and the emotional components of pain, like depression and anxiety.
TENS device for pain not recommended for chronic low back pain
Guideline: Widely used device for pain therapy not recommended for chronic low back pain – The transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS), a widely used pain therapy involving a portable device, is not recommended to treat chronic low-back pain — pain that has persisted for three months or longer — because research shows it is not effective.
Patients with acute lower back pain can be diagnosed by PCP
PCPs are front line defense in diagnosing serious illness in patients with acute lower back pain — ‘Red flag’ clinical features aid PCPs in screening patients for serious diseases. – Primary care physicians are front line defense in diagnosing serious illness in patients with acute lower back pain, revealed by researchers at The George Institute for International Health in Australia.
Yoga benefits back pain patients
WVU study shows yoga benefits back-pain patients — Results published in Spine compare yoga with conventional treatment. – People with chronic low back problems who do yoga also do better at overcoming pain and depression than people treated conventionally for back pain, a West Virginia University study funded by the National Institutes of Health shows.
Exercise more to ease aching back
Exercise more, not less, to ease aching back — People with lower back pain are better off exercising more, not less. – A University of Alberta study of 240 men and women with chronic lower-back pain showed that those who exercised four days a week had a better quality of life, 28 per cent less pain and 36 per cent less disability, while those who hit the gym only two or three days a week did not show the same level of change.
Acupuncture eases chronic low back pain in SPINE trial
This study suggests that acupuncture is about as effective as other treatments for chronic back pain that have been found helpful. – Acupuncture can help people with chronic low back pain feel less bothered by their symptoms and function better in their daily activities, according to the largest randomized trial of its kind, published in the May 11, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine.
Back pain diagnosis easier with simple bedside test
Simple bedside test StEP improves diagnosis of chronic back pain, could guide treatment. – A simple and inexpensive method of assessing pain, developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers, is better than currently used techniques for distinguishing neuropathic pain ? pain caused by damage to the nervous system ? from other types of chronic back pain.