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Chronic Pain
The latest articles relating to chronic pain, neck pain and back pain from About.com
Last week, one of my colleagues went to the White House to pose questions submitted by About.com readers to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. Unfortunately, the interview was cut short when President Obama called the Secretary to a meeting at the last minute. I was disappointed with the answers the Secretary provided anyway, because I had heard all that before. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands -- I created a handy guide to Back Care on a Budget, for those of us who don't want to wait for the "system" to come to our rescue. It may not cover everything you need, but I think you'll find some general principles that can be useful for reducing pain. And along those lines, have you checked out the Daily Spine? The Daily Spine is a feature I created to help you cope with the day to day challenges of a back injury or condition. Here are a few of my favorites:
Back Care on a Budget originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 14:19:36. Permalink | Comment | Email this Runner's Back Pain
Most of us have heard experts tout the benefits of stretching for runners and walkers. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that running and walking use leg, pelvic and back muscles extensively. Unless your body usage is premo, you are likely to practice your sport with imbalances in your postural alignment. When you do a weight bearing workout as vigorous as running, you risk strengthening the imbalances you have, which may lead to an injury. Strength and flexibility imbalances between muscles that attach on or pass through the pelvis may create back pain. For example, tight hamstrings (muscles at back of the leg) are known to cause a condition called flat low back posture. (As the name implies, flat low back posture is a decrease in the natural spinal curve in the lumbar area.) Tight quads may pull the top of the pelvis forward, increasing the curve (a condition known as hyper, or excessive lordosis). Excessive lordosis may tighten up your back muscles. About.com's Yoga Guide, Ann Pizer, has a great routine for runners. Check out her yoga stretches for runners. | How to Align Your Spine | Back Pain | Is it Safe to Work Out When You Have Back Pain? | ======================= Subscribe to ======================= OR Runner's Back Pain originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 09:41:09. Permalink | Comment | Email this Ask Kathleen Sebelius Your Question
Are your pain medications inadequately covered? Has insurance cut you off from physical therapy? Is your employer ignoring your work-related injury? Is lack of insurance coverage keeping you from getting medical attention for your back? We have a unique opportunity here at About.com to interview Secretary Sebelius on the topic of health insurance premiums and patients' rights. This will live-stream on whitehouse.gov and have a later presence on About.com. If you have any questions specifically on the issue of health insurance and patients' rights for spine related conditions, please submit them directly to my email: backandneck.guide@about.com I would encourage anyone with any kind of neck or back problem, to take this rare opportunity to be heard, and find out what the government has in store for you. Submit your question immediately, as this interview is scheduled for Tuesday. backandneck.guide@about.com. ======================= OR Ask Kathleen Sebelius Your Question originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Monday, June 21st, 2010 at 00:53:59. Permalink | Comment | Email this Beat the Heat - and Your Back Pain, Too.
In most parts of the country, it's h-h-hot. What's the best way to keep working on your back exercises in excruciating heat? Aquatic therapy, of course. The benefits of water exercise are many, including less joint pain and more fun. Not to mention beating the heat. Do you need special equipment for water exercise? Not too much. I mean, it's nice to have a flotation belt, but often pools stock a supply for their customers. But if you have an infection, you get seizures or you have neurological problems, exercising in the water is probably not for you. Check my more exhaustive list of conditions. If you have even one of these, you shouldn't go in the water. (And check with your doctor if you're unsure.) Here's a basic water exercise routine you can try on your own. Or ask your local Y, pool, community center, etc if they have classes. Now there are no excuses for not doing your back exercises. | Water Exercise for Back Pain | Back Pain | Do You Know What to do When You Have Back Pain? | ======================= Subscribe to ======================= Follow Me On Twitter OR Beat the Heat - and Your Back Pain, Too. originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Saturday, June 12th, 2010 at 06:19:55. Permalink | Comment | Email this Radiculopathy - Pins, Needles and Pain
If you get pins and needles, pain, weakness or feelings of electrical shock down your arm or leg (sciatica), chances are you have a syndrome known as radiculopathy. There are a number of causes of radiculopathy, but usually a herniated disc is responsible. Symptoms of radiculopathy indicate that a spinal nerve root is pinched, pressured or otherwise cajoled. In other words, those pins and needles and other things you feel in your arm or leg are there because you have nerve involvement. With radiculopathy, it's like the pain and other symptoms are assigned specific zones to be in. This is because at each level of your spine (called a segment), nerves exit the spinal cord (from holes called the intervertebral foramen) and branch out to wire the rest of your body for feeling and movement. The useful thing about the zones is that the can be tested for abnormal feeling or function,and your doctor can narrow down the area she thinks the pain is coming from. When we are talking about feeling and sensation, the zones are called dermatomes and when we are talking about movements they're called myotomes. | Bulging Disc | Back Pain | Do You Know What to do When You Have Back Pain? | ======================= Subscribe to ======================= OR Radiculopathy - Pins, Needles and Pain originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 at 17:54:38. Permalink | Comment | Email this Neck Injury Doesn't Keep Tiger Off Course
A quick look at Tiger Woods's website shows he's been very busy on the course, despite a neck injury that caused him to withdraw from the PLAYERS competition back in May. Tiger had speculated that his neck pain was due to a bulging disc. But his MRI revealed an inflammed facet joint. The facet joint is located on the bony ring in back of the vertebrae. It lends stability to the spinal column as a unit. I spoke with Dr. Narayan Sundaresan, Professor of Neurosurgery at Mt. Sinai Medical School in New York City about Tiger's diagnosis. From Dr. Sundaresan:
======================= OR Neck Injury Doesn't Keep Tiger Off Course originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Friday, July 9th, 2010 at 14:12:48. Permalink | Comment | Email this What is Your Back Pain Story? Share it on the Back and Neck Pain Site.
If you've been coming to the Back and Neck Pain site for a while, you may have noticed that I am getting more into listening mode. I'd love to read what you have to share regarding your neck or back, especially through some new pages dedicated to readers' stories. I really believe we all benefit when we share the odyssey of getting back pain diagnosed, treated and managed. (That goes for prevention, too.) I'm all ears, so check out these solicitations if you will, and answer a couple while you're there:
If you have a topic you want to share that's not on the list, email me at: backandneck.guide@about.com. ======================= OR What is Your Back Pain Story? Share it on the Back and Neck Pain Site. originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 at 10:29:46. Permalink | Comment | Email this Reader Question - Spinal Decompression
A reader wrote me recently saying he's been going to a chiropractor for spinal decompression therapy but it's $150 per session and he's not even sure if it's working. He say's he's also done all the back exercises the chiropractor told him to do - but still no pain relief. The only thing that helps (and not enough) is laying on his back. (He thought of that solution on his own.) Noticing that he was going the holistic route, I answered him with a short run down on what the research says about spinal decompression. I also gave him a different type of CAM option, one that's less expensive and for some, very effective in relieving back pain. Here's what I told him: Read more... Reader Question - Spinal Decompression originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 15:12:44. Permalink | Comment | Email this Reader Question: Pilates Too Regimented for My Back A reader had an interesting question about Pilates for back pain. She asks: Pilates was recommended to me as a way to relieve my lower back pain. But it's very regimented and sometimes hurts my back. What can I do if Pilates seems too regimented for me? And I said: It's true, Pilates instruction can seem inflexible at times. This may be due to imbalances in your alignment, particularly your pelvic position when you do the exercises. Fortunately, there are ways to approach Pilates exercises that make them more accessible. The key is to understand that the body is designed to move, and most back exercise programs will address kinesiology correctly. Sure, there are small differences of opinions that erupt between academics and professionals, but in general anatomy and kinesiology of your skeletal system and soft tissue is a given. But the way in which you approach movement and your body can vary according to what system you are using. For example, yoga emphasizes alignment, breathing, and stretching, among other things. A typical strength training routine at the gym is less subtle than yoga. Another example is massage vs stretching (or yoga). Massage is a passive treatment while stretching is active. Getting back to the question, you might want to consider some entry ways to Pilates. Entry ways may take the form of: Also, understanding your abdominal muscles and the role of core strength in rehabbing your back may be useful. | Threw Your Back Out? How Did You Do It? | Back Pain | Abdominal Crunches for Your Lower Back | ======================= OR Reader Question: Pilates Too Regimented for My Back originally appeared on About.com Back & Neck Pain on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 12:09:48. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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