Back Pain Articles & Stories

Long, Skinny Muscle Found Crucial to Healthy Spine

A pencil-thin, roughly 2-foot-long muscle running from the base to the top of the spine is composed of a novel "scaffolding" of fibers that strengthen and support the back, a recent research study has shown. "The multifidus muscle was formerly thought to be relatively unimportant based on it... Read More

Myths and Facts About Back Pain

While the common cold claims the most sick days among U.S. workers under age 45, lower back pain comes in a strong second, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In addition, it says, some 80 percent of adults are expected to experience lower back pain at some point in thei... Read More

MRI Excellent in Investigating Back Pain

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is becoming more and more useful to doctors in identifying the multiple possible causes of back pain, according to a recent evaluation of the technology from an orthopedic perspective. The evaluation, which appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Or... Read More

Ingesting Food Can Function As Pain Relief

It's common knowledge that people often eat food to feel better, but researchers have now found that eating chocolate or drinking water can blunt pain, reducing a rat's response to a hot stimulus. Researchers believe this natural form of pain relief may help animals in the wild avoid distracti... Read More

Chronic-Pain Patients With Low Vitamin D Need More Narcotics

Among patients who need heavy-duty pain medication, those with low levels of vitamin D in their blood need nearly twice the dosage of narcotic drugs to manage their chronic pain, a recent study discovered. On questionnaires, low vitamin D patients also reported a worse per... Read More

Ozone Injections Relieve Pain of Herniated Discs

A non-surgical, radiologically guided injection of oxygen and ozone into bulging or herniated discs results in just as much pain relief and restoration of function as back surgery but with fewer complications and shorter recovery time, two recent studies revealed. The grou... Read More

Antidepressants Found Ineffective Against Back Pain

Antidepressants, commonly prescribed to relieve low back pain, don’t relieve it at all, according to a recent analysis of several studies. The medications are routinely prescribed by almost a quarter of doctors who treat low back pain. But an overview of 10 published... Read More

As Back-Pain Spending Rises, Results Worsen

Eight years have seen a huge increase in spending on back-pain problems in America. Ironically, however, the proportion of Americans suffering from spine problems has actually increased, too, according to a recent study. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assoc... Read More

Physiotherapy Shows Benefits Following Knee Replacement

According to a recent study published on bmj.com, physiotherapy can improve the daily lives of osteoarthritis patients who have undergone knee replacement surgery. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of disability found in oler people, so total knee replacement surgery is a routinely perfo... Read More

Reducing Stress Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Problems

A Review in The Lancet reveals the importance of healthy lifestyle choices to reduce stressors related to cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers from John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore examined records between 1990 to 2006. They observed how stress affects the sympathetic nervous system, im... Read More