When you begin the recovery process for a back injury, physical activity may seem like a terrible idea. Many individuals experience sudden increases in pain with certain movements, which can make the idea of actively trying to move seem unwise.

In our previous blog, “Back Pain: Don’t Take It Lying Down,” we discussed the fundamental reasons why sedentary living does more harm than good when you have back pain. In this blog, we provide you with more specifics about how you can reintegrate physical activity after a lower back injury. (more…)

If you suffer from tingling, pain, numbness, and weakness in your hands and wrists, you might feel as though nothing in the world can ease your symptoms. Your symptoms could be a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome, a debilitating condition that develops from repetitive use of the wrist and hand.

Carpal tunnel doesn’t go away without the proper treatment. In most cases, the condition and its symptoms can worsen with time. Because of these troublesome facts, it’s important to understand more about carpal tunnel syndrome and how it could affect your life now and in the future.

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Arthritis is the root of chronic pain for many individuals. In fact, according to the Arthritis Foundation, approximately one in four Americans over the age of 18 have arthritis that has been identified and formally diagnosed by a doctor.

For some individuals, arthritis can be easily managed, while for other patients, arthritis can mean persistent pain, decreased mobility, and even physical deformation. The exact treatment for a patient’s arthritis depends both on the type or types of arthritis that he or she has and the current severity of the arthritis.

Arthritis is not reversible, but can often be managed with the help of appropriate medical professionals. In this blog, we discuss the general characteristics of arthritis as well as five of the most common types of arthritis of the spine.

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While disc herniation and degenerative disc disease can cause lower back pain, as well as numbness and weakness in the legs, other symptoms may include urinary retention or incontinence and/or bowel incontinence. Since minor discomforts can develop into more serious complications, it’s important to have a better understanding of the various spinal nerve problems that can cause these symptoms. That way, you’ll know when to get treatment to prevent your symptoms from getting worse.

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Whiplash is a common neck injury that often occurs as the result of a motor vehicle accident, particularly a rear-end or side-impact collision. The violent, sudden forward and backward movement of your neck can cause injury to neck muscles, ligaments, discs, bones in the spine, nerve roots, intervertebral (facet) joints and injury to the soft neck tissues.

Injury to the neck and cervical spine can result in various symptoms and severity. Therefore, it’s important to see a medical professional trained in diagnosing whiplash injuries for proper treatment and symptom relief.
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Many people suffer from nerve damage caused by illness or accidents, but some nerve pain and numbness can be a result of not getting the right vitamins and minerals in your diet. Your food is meant to provide fuel for your activities, but it should also supply the nutrients you need to do things like repair muscles, support eyesight and digest your food.

Vitamins and minerals are essential to nerve health. Some play a unique role in keeping your nervous system working the way it should. Here are the vitamins and minerals you need to support your nervous system.

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Multiple sclerosis (MS)—an autoimmune disease that leads to damage to the myelin coating around nerve fibers—causes symptoms such as fatigue, weakness or numbness in the limbs, tremors, unsteady gait, and tingling or pain in different areas of the body. Pain, including neck and back pain, is a common symptom that can be acute or chronic. While currently there is no cure for MS, there are treatments to help slow the progression of the disease and manage pain and other related symptoms.
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Arthritis of the spine can cause a number of symptoms including headaches, loss of flexibility, difficulty walking, loss of bowel or bladder control, and neck or back pain. Depending on whether cervical or lumbar spinal joints and nerve roots are affected, symptoms may include weakness and pain that radiates down one or both arms or legs.

When it comes to managing back pain associated with spinal arthritis, your doctor may recommend that you not rely on traditional medical treatment alone to control your pain symptoms. In working with a pain management physician and the treatment options he or she offers, there are steps you can also take on your own to help reduce the pain and improve your overall quality of life. (more…)

When you think about jobs that cause back pain, you might first think of jobs that involve physical labor. You might assume construction workers, warehouse workers, and farm workers are the most likely to experience back pain at work.

While jobs that involve physical labor certainly carry back pain risk, many other jobs do as well. If you have any of the following jobs, you’ll need to take steps to prevent and treat back pain.
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When you start to develop chronic pain in your back, your first reaction is probably to start resting more. You’ll be more reluctant to stay active and spend more time lying on the sofa or in bed. However, back pain is a complicated beast, and some research shows that lying down all the time will not make things better.

Here’s what you need to know about how excessive rest affects back pain and what you can do instead. (more…)