News and Articles on Health. Medical research topics.

Suppose you have just had an MRI scan and you’re waiting for the results. Chances are that your doctor has a report in his hand that states that you have a bulging spine or a herniated disc. In fact, in the past, it was only the over 60′s age group that was prone to such problems. These days, even those over 25 develop serious back and neck pain problems.

It has been noted that more than 90% of people find back pain relief within a couple of months of their symptoms. However, if back pain does not go away in the first couple of months, then, chances of it going away permanently are very slim indeed. According to a survey by Liberty Mutual, the longer a person absents themselves from work due to back pain, the lesser their chances of returning to work with a fully functional back. To make matters worse, research also indicates that once a person falls into the abyss of back pain, they may soon develop other health problems. Approximately 75% of chronic back pain sufferers reportedly suffer from multiple health problems.

Unfortunately, a good majority of people consider surgery to be their best shot at back pain relief. What most people do not know is that surgery is always the last option, never the first. In fact, most people who suffer from persistent back pain can get back pain relief through non-surgical means. However, for this to work, it is important that patients start working on their back musculature at the earliest possible time.

Many people are prone to back pain due to the very nature of their work. In fact, it can safely be said that if you are over 30 and working, your back is a sitting duck! By that definition, almost 90% of the world population is at risk. Surveys show that many people are indeed struggling with chronic back problems and are desperately seeing back pain relief.

The first step is to ensure that your back is always well supported. Sit, stand or lie down in a position that allows your back to be in its natural and most comfortable state of being. Anything that places continuous stress or strain on the back is guaranteed to cause pain and irritation.

The next step is to strengthen your back so that it becomes more flexible. Bear in mind that most kinds of back pains result from muscular strains. Regular back strengthening exercises are a surefire way of achieving back pain relief. That said, it must be remembered that exercises help only if they are practiced regularly, if the exercises are performed right and if they are performed over a long period of time.

If back pain problems have reached a level where they interfere with normal activities, then, it is recommended that you meet a doctor and explore the possibilities of a surgical procedure to achieve back pain relief. Research shows than in 10-15% of people, surgery is the only route to permanent back pain relief.

Everything in life requires maintenance: cars, a house, your teeth, relationships and even your spine. The spine is a very complex structure which contains twenty-four movable bones (the vertebrae), twenty-three discs, the spinal cord, thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves, the meninges (the protective covering which surrounds the central nervous system), nine common ligaments, five layers of muscle, blood vessels, lymphatics, adipose (fat), fascia and other connective tissues.

If you fail to maintain your spine it will eventually start to develop problems (which are initially silent). It’s not until the problems have gotten so bad that you first start to experience symptoms. Pain is the last thing that shows up. By the time your back or neck hurts, the problem has been there for a long time.

This is very much like having a slow oil leak in your car. When your engine first starts leaking oil, there are no overt signs or symptoms. It’s a silent but very damaging problem. Your oil level has to be down about two full quarts before the engine sensor gets tripped and the little “check engine” dashboard light comes on. Does it make sense to pay attention to your oil levels only after the engine starts smoking?

Your teeth require ongoing maintenance (brushing, flossing, and going to the dentist for regular check ups). Failure to do these fundamental maintenance practices will lead to tooth decay and eventually to cavities. Did you know that tooth decay has to occur for about three years before the enamel is damaged enough to cause a cavity? And the cavity doesn’t cause tooth pain right away. It’s only after the tooth has rotted to such an extent that the cavity reaches the nerve root. So does it make sense to only pay attention to your teeth when they start to hurt?

The spine requires continuous maintenance as well. Failure to maintain your spine leads to spinal decay (which is very similar to tooth decay). The bones, joints, discs, and connective tissues all start to wear out. And just like with problems with your car or your teeth, the damage is insidious. It starts without causing any symptoms whatsoever. Neglecting your spine eventually leads to chronic back pain, neck pain, stiffness, headaches, fibromyalgia, migraines, sciatica, low energy, poor posture, nervousness, irritability, sleep disturbances, poor sports performance, inability to concentrate (being in a “mental fog”), pain radiating into the arms or legs, and other signs of neurological stress.

The following are the five easy keys to maintaining your spine. Do these five things and you will prevent problems from occurring:

• Eat right: you need to put high quality fuel into your body. Good nutrition is the cornerstone of any health and wellness plan. Eat whole foods (fresh organically grown fruits and vegetables and lean-clean protein. Supplement your diet with a high quality multi-vitamin, fish oils (for omega 3 fatty acids), a probiotic and vitamin D3. Avoid fast food, junk food, processed food, sodas (regular and diet), sugar, gluten and dairy.
• Exercise: Exercise helps to oxygenate (bring oxygen to) all of your tissues. Oxygen is required by all cells, tissues, organs and systems. Exercise also helps keep you flexible and limber. The intervertebral discs don’t have a good direct blood supply and they rely on motion so fresh oxygen and nutrients can penetrate into the disc to keep them healthy.
• Stay Well Hydrated: Water lubricates and protects your joints. The solution to pollution is dilution. If you’ve got a build up of toxins in your body (which tend to linger in the muscles), you can flush out your body with an abundance of filtered water. Most people need to drink eight to twelve glasses of water per day. If you drink coffee, tea, sodas or alcohol, you need to drink even more water to flush out your system.
• Keep Your Spine Aligned: Normal spinal alignment is absolutely critical for correct loading on the joints, discs and supportive soft tissues. If your spine is out of alignment it will create massive pressure on the nervous system (as well as arthritis, degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease). This can also lead to a wide array of neurological problems. Poor posture leads to low energy and experiencing a brain fog. Be sure to get your spine checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic. Do not allow any misaligned vertebrae to go unchecked or uncorrected.
• Pay Attention To Ergonomics: Ergonomics has to do with how you interact with your environment. It involves your bedding (mattress & box spring), your chair, your car seat, your work station, etc. Flip & rotate your mattress every 3 months. Adjust your chair so it’s at the correct height and you have ample lumbar support. And adjust your work station so you can work in a forward neutral posture (without having to twist your back in order to work at the computer).

Your spine did not come with an instruction manual when you were born (which accounts for why nobody ever taught you how to maintain your spine before this). The key to preventing spinal problems is via maintaining your spine for life. Do these five easy steps and you’ll have a healthy spine and prevent future problems from occurring.

Unfortunately, for many people the world over suffer from lumbar back pain and sciatica. This discomfort can range from a dull throb, numbness or sharp shooting pain all the way down to the foot.

Whatever it feels like it can really disrupt your life. When the sciatic nerve pain strikes, trying to find some sort of comfort is a never ending problem.

Finding some sort of sciatica nerve relief is essential to all sufferers of this condition. The two sciatic nerves are the largest ones in the whole body. They start at the lower back and extend down both legs to the feet.

Getting sciatic nerve relief is not easy due to its size and since the pain comes when the nerve is compressed, it can be started off in many different areas. Very often it starts due to a herniated disc in the lower spine area.

It often raises its ugly head when you are just sitting and trying to relax. With severe pain, professional help is advised to locate the exact cause of the sciatic nerve pain.

One easy treatment is to ensure you try to stretch your muscles regularly. Creating a routine of exercises for sciatica can help a lot over time. Basic stretching techniques for the back, legs and the muscles of the buttocks often give good results and sciatica nerve relief.

Other exercises such as walking and swimming has proved to be another excellent treatment for sciatica. Remember not to place any real stress or push yourself too far when trying exercises for sciatica pain. It will be counter productive in the end.

Trying to keep as active as possible will also help sciatica leg pain and always remember to keep a correct posture. Very often a good quality mattress for your bed will help give you sciatic nerve pain relief.

Some pain relief can be obtained by the use of pain killers but this is only a temporary solution. Hot and cold presses have also been found to help.

Back pain is one of the most common health problems we face. Seventy-five million Americans will experience this problem each year. Eighty percent of the adult population will have low back pain at some time during their lives. It is the most common cause of disability among the 30-50 year old age group. People suffering with pain will affirm that it can interfere with ones ability to function at their job, play sports, get a good nights sleep, exercise and do other activities of daily living.

The following are the most common causes of back pain:

• Poor Posture: If you have abnormal posture, standing or sitting for long periods of time can cause pain due to abnormal gravitational forces being exerted on the muscles, discs and joints.
• Daily Activities: Even healthy, normal activities can cause sprains and strains, which can lead to back pain. Gardening, tennis, horseback riding, biking and even golf can potentially hurt your back.
• Injuries and Accidents: Car accidents, slips & falls, sports injuries, and other mishaps can all cause back pain.

While back pain patients comprise the second largest diagnostic group seen by medical family practitioners, the treatments recommended by these practitioners (drugs) are often found to be ineffective. A prominent medical researcher has suggested that family physicians consider referring their back pain patients for chiropractic care, as it has proven to be helpful for this disorder.

Masking the symptoms of back problems with drugs will make you feel better temporarily. But to resolve the problems permanently, it involves correcting the posture, restoring joint function, increasing flexibility and strengthening the supportive soft tissues.

One of the most effective ways to improve joint function and mobility as well as correcting the posture is with chiropractic adjustments. When done by a doctor of chiropractic, adjustments are safe, almost always painless and result in an immediate sense of well being.

Chiropractic is complimented with a rehabilitation program consisting of stretches, deep tissue massage (to break up spasms) and exercises to stabilize and strengthen the muscles as well as restore balance and coordination.