OrthoNeuroSpine & Pain Institute
News Updates
Foods for back pain relief
Source — Back Pain Relief Daily
Injuries and infections can cause inflammation, which may sometimes persist to cause many diseases such as cancer and arthritis leading to considerable pain. A study discussed in this article reveals that choice of foods can influence the reduction or aggravation of inflammation. There are some foods for back pain relief, which include fruits, vegetables, whole grain, healthy plant fats and fish, refined grains, and red meat. However, you should avoid processed food. Foods containing high fats and sodium can cause aggravation of inflammation.
Sciatica Pain
Source — Back Pain Relief Daily
Symptoms associated with sciatica pain include low back pain shooting down to the foot, numbness, tingling in the leg, and general weakness due to inflammation of the Sciatic nerve according to the following article. Sometimes Sciatica may be cured through conservative management causing the patient to return to light exercises within two to three weeks. Exercises recommended for Sciatica are stretching exercises for strengthening the abdominal and back muscles. At times injections may be necessary. Injury to the Sciatic nerve may be due to Spinal Stenosis, herniated disc, tumor on the nerve, or fracture of the pelvis area. If the symptoms persist, and you have a fever, call a doctor immediately.
Heat or ice for pain
Source — Back Pain Relief Daily
Swelling, pain, bruising, or redness is associated with acute injury, and the area has much inflammation and is untouchable. According to the following article, it is then that heat or ice for pain is needed. Ice should be applied immediately instead of waiting 48 to 72 hours as prescribed, as the fluid takes time in reaching the spot of injury because of the joints of the knees, ankles, and elbows. The severity of the trauma influences the inflammation more in cases of older persons having neck, back, or knee pain. Application of ice should be made for 10 to 15 minutes, which works to constrict the blood vessels. Therefore, this reduces the swelling.
iFuse Surgery for pain relief
Source — Back Pain Relief Daily
The second most common area where back problems exists is the SI joint or the joint at the spine and pelvis. A new technology has been developed for implanting titanium plates at the SI joint, which relieves back pain through minimization of micro-motion. Known as iFuse surgery for pain relief, it involves a MIS procedure where a small incision is made at the Sacroiliac joint, and with the help of a guide pin, which is a Titanium plate used to fuse the joints. iFuse Surgery For Pain Relief The sacroiliac joint (or SI joint for short) is the second most common area where people experience back pain. Many people mistakenly refer to it as their “hip”, but the SI joint is part of the spine.
Patients with severe back pain who quit smoking report less pain than patients who continue to smoke
Source — Medical News Today
For years, research has shown a link between smoking and an increased risk for low back pain, intervertebral (spine) disc disease, and inferior patient outcomes following surgery. A new study, published in the December 2012 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), also found that smokers suffering from spinal disorders and related back pain, reported greater discomfort than spinal disorder patients who stopped smoking during an eight-month treatment period.
“This study supports the need for smoking cessation programs for patients with a painful spinal disorder given a strong association between improved patient reported pain and smoking cessation,” said Dr. Rechtine.
Staying active may help low back pain
Source — Daily Rx
A recent study examined whether receiving professional guided advice during disability helped injured workers with low back pain return to work more quickly.
Researchers hypothesize that a medical professional’s advice to remain active makes the claimant more positive and optimistic about their diagnosis. This optimism decreases mental stress, spinal loading and risk of injury.
“The milder the case of low back pain the easier the healing,” said Dr. Shiao.
“The body is always on the mend and can compensate quickly for an injured area. If sufficient blood flow is maintained through active but careful movement and the patient is generally positive, a mild case of low back pain can resolve on its own.”
Shorter hospital stays seen in patients with spinous process fixation
Source — Healio.com
Patients who underwent posterior lumbar fusion for spondylolisthesis with stenosis with spinous process fixation compared with pedicle screws had reduced operative times and hospital stays and improved outcome scores, according to a study presented at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting.
Back pain treatment called mild® hits milestone
Source — PR Newswire
The mild® procedure, an innovative outpatient back-pain treatment, has passed a major milestone – more than 12,000 patients have received the treatment across the U.S.
mild® is an extremely safe procedure that can help patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) stand longer and walk farther with less pain. It is a short outpatient procedure performed through an incision the size of a baby aspirin that requires no general anesthesia, no implants and no stitches. Its efficacy and safety have been demonstrated in 11 clinical trials and 12 physician reviewed clinical journal articles.
5 tips for lower back pain after running
Source — Back Pain Relief Daily
Running is a form of exercise with a high level of impact due to the pounding of one’s feet on the ground at regular intervals. This thumping of your feet on the hard ground continuously causes a sort of shock to be sent to the spine which may cause lower back pain. If one is not careful, this lower back pain could become chronic. There are several steps that you can follow to avoid this back pain after running. The 5 tips for lower back pain after running are:
Spotting spinal arthritis early
Source — Daily Rx
Patients with chronic back pain caused by inflammation should be screened for ankylosing spondylitis. That is because inflammatory back pain is an early sign of ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis that affects the spine.
Early diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis gives patients a better chance at controlling pain and slowing joint damage. Because inflammatory back pain is an early sign of ankylosing spondylitis, it could be used to diagnose this painful form of inflammatory arthritis.
How do we experience back pain?
Source — Daily Rx
Lower back pain is a nebulous and common problem. Often, the cause of chronic pain can be traced back to a specific cause such as lumbar spinal stenosis, or degenerative disk disease.
But typically, lower back pain comes from something more difficult to diagnose, like overuse, strain, or stress.
It’s also important to try to avoid back pain by staying active, and having proper ergonomics while sitting at your desk, if that’s what you do all day. Keep your body relaxed and position your computer screen at eye level. A quick exercise or two can help stave off back pain.
Good news for short term back pain
Source — Daily Rx
Low-back pain is a common condition that can affect every day life through discomfort, health care costs, disability and loss of work. Luckily, most back pain is alleviated in the course of six weeks.
Researchers have identified that patients with low-back pain improve quickly within the first six weeks of seeking care.
This is particularly true for those whose symptoms have been ongoing for less than 6 weeks. Those with back pain that has lasted for 12 weeks to one year at the time of seeking treatment find more difficulty in alleviating their symptoms.
Lumbar spinal fusion plus laminectomy yields improved results over laminectomy alone for degenerative spondylolisthesis
Source — Healio.com
Patients with degenerative grade I spondylolisthesis with lumbar spinal stenosis may experience improved quality of life after undergoing a laminectomy with lumbar spinal fusion vs. laminectomy alone, according to findings presented at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting.
According to the release, the researchers concluded that lumbar spinal fusion in addition to laminectomy for the treatment of degenerative grade I spondylolisthesis was associated with superior SF-36 PCS outcome, resulting in fewer reoperations within 4 years of the procedure.
Intra-articular facet fractures more easily detected with CT scans than MRI
Source — Healio.com
In a cohort of elite athletes presenting with localized spine pain and back extension, researchers found CT imaging superior to MRI in the detection of intra-articular sacral facet fractures.
The authors concluded early diagnosis and treatment increases the chance of pain relief and return to sport for patients with sacral facet fractures.
Scoliosis treatment might reduce need for surgeries
Source — US News Health
Scoliosis is an abnormal curving of the spine that occurs mainly in young children and adolescents. Traditional treatment for children who are still growing is surgical insertion of growing rods. Every six months, however, a new surgery is required to lengthen the rods.
In the study, researchers assessed the use of magnetically controlled growing rods that were implanted in two patients. The key advantage: Surgery is not required to lengthen these rods.
Surgery less than 24 hours after cervical spinal cord injury yields improved outcomes
Source — Orthosupersite
Researchers at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson have found that patients who receive surgery less than 24 hours after a traumatic cervical spine injury suffer less neural tissue destruction and improved clinical outcomes, according to a study published in PLoS One.
Spinous process-splitting open pedicle screw fusion technique relieves lower back pain and discomfort in patients
Source — Orthosupersite
In patients suffering from degenerative spondylolisthesis, spinous process-splitting open pedicle screw fusion can relieve lower back pain, lower back discomfort and causes less paraspinal muscle injury than conventional open pedicle screw techniques, according to researchers from Japan.
Spinal cord stimulation efficiency boosted with implanted device with three columns of electrodes
Source — Medical News Today
A study published in the March issue of Neurosurgery, the official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, describes a new method of electrical stimulation that uses an implanted device with three columns of electrodes, which could increase the efficiency of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for severe back pain.
Best ways to reduce back pain at your desk job
Source — Fox News.com
A number of studies have shown that sitting at your desk all day is not good for your overall health, but there’s been little proof that sitting for long hours leads to back pain.
“One of the negative effects of sitting is that it puts the spine in a flexed position (bent forward) and this may cause your back muscles to stop working efficiently, putting your back at risk of injury,” said Donald R. Murphy, clinical assistant professor at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, R.I.
Lumbar disc degeneration more likely in obese adults
Source — Orthospinenews
An age related disability, known as degenerative disc disease, was recently found to be linked to obesity. As a person ages their spinal discs begin to break down and will result in loss of fluids or tears in the outer layers of the discs, all together eventually causing the degenerative disease. A recent study at the University of Hong Kong found that adults who are overweight or obese were significantly more likely to have disc degeneration than those with a normal body mass index (BMI).
Epidural steroid injections do not improve outcomes in patients with lumbar stenosis
Source — Orthosupersite
A subgroup analysis of the SPORT study found that patients with spinal stenosis who received epidural steroid injections had significantly less improvement compared to those who did not receive them, despite whether patients were treated surgically or nonsurgically.
The research, presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the North American Spine Society, also revealed that epidural steroid injected [ESI] patients showed no avoidance to surgery, had longer surgical times and hospital stays.
Study investigates risks for re-operation after spondylolisthesis surgery
Source — Orthosupersite
A subgroup analysis of the SPORT study showed a 14% re-operation rate at 4 years for patients who undergo surgery for degenerative spondylolisthesis and found no link between the risk of revision and traditional factors, such as surgical variables, body mass index and baseline clinical scores.
Epidural steroid injection returns most professional football players to the field
Source — Orthosupersite
Researchers found an 89% success rate of epidural steroid injection treatment for acute lumbar disk herniation in professional football players, according to Aaron J. Krych, MD at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine 2012 Specialty Day Meeting, here.
In our hands, epidural steroid injections were an effective therapeutic option for treatment of acute lumbar disk herniation in professional athletes,” Krych said. “They appear to be safe and well-tolerated with minimal side effects. In this small study, risk factors for failure included sequestered disk on MRI as well as presentation of lower extremity weakness. We continue to recommend an individualized treatment approach for our athletes.”