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 their lives.
Even though back pain is so prevalent, it's surrounded by a host of common misunderstandings. Among them, according to Kam Raiszadeh, an orthopedic surgeon who is medical director of the Advanced Spine Institute at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, are:
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Surgery Likely Better Than Exercise for Back Pain
The results of a four-year study on severe back pain show that spine surgery produces more and faster pain relief and greater improvement in function than exercise, physical therapy and analgesic drugs.
The study, known as the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), was published in the medical journal Spine. The results of the first two years of the research had already found that spine surgery works better than non-surgical techniques for patients who have herniated lumbar (lower back) discs. The next two years have confirmed those findings.
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Stem-Cell Trial Aimed at Spinal Cord Regrowth
A clinical trial that will test how embryonic stem cells affect the regrowth of spinal cord injuries may be getting the green light to go ahead early next year. Movement toward giving the green light was signaled by a recent meeting of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee that discussed stem-cell research issues. The panel, which was composed of 25 independent scientists and FDA researchers, mulled over problems relating to proper stem-cell animal studies and how scientists can ensure that embryonic stem cells differentiate appropriately - that is, that they don't form teratomas (cancerous tumors formed of several different tissues, such as muscle, bone, cartilage and skin).
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Glimmer of Hope for Spine-Injury Victims
It's just in rats for now, but scientists have induced spinal cord regrowth by taking tiny nerves from the rib cage, bathing them in a growth-inducing protein, and then grafting them into the area of the cut spinal cord. "By using tiny nerves from the rib cage as cables connecting the severed spinal cord, we were able to get some improvement in leg function," said Dr. Vernon Lin, a professor of physical medicine at the University of California at Irvine and director of the Spinal Cord Injury Group at the Long Beach Veterans Administration Medical Center.
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Waiting May Reduce Need for Back Surgery
New studies demonstrate that waiting may be the best alternative to back surgery. Approximately 1.5 million back surgeries are performed worldwide. These surgeries are performed to address painful problems associated with slipped or misaligned disks. Intransient sciatica and other lower back conditions are extremely painful and can impact the quality of life of those afflicted. New research though suggests that 75% of such cases will improve on their own if left untreated.
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What is an Aneurysm?
WHAT IS AN AORTIC ANEURYSM? With Dr.Sateesh Babu Vascular Associates of Westchester
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FDA Approves Cervical Disc Implant Treatment
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the Prestige disc implant device to treat degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine. Medtronic has created the first artificial disc for insertion into the neck to allow a larger degree of movement than the traditional spinal fusion treatment. Medtronic has agreed to conduct a seven year study as part of the FDA approval agreement. The company performed a clinical trial observing 541 patients receiving treatment for cervical degenerative disc disease comparing Prestige Cervical Disc to spinal fusion. The results found Prestige to have a greater degree of neurological success as well as fewer revision surgeries. The device is made of a stainless steel two-piece ball-and-trough configuration that functions like a joint and offers the greatest potential for neck mobility.
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Something Good About Spine Surgery
Spine Surgery was found a more effective treatment for degenerative spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis than were non-surgical methods according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Surgery is commonly used as a treatment for degenerative spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis. There has been controversy regarding it's effectiveness in comparison with non-surgical methods.
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Human Stem Cells Return Motor Function to Paralyzed Rats
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego report that experimental rats recovered from blood flow related paralysis after receiving grafts of human spinal stem cells. When damage occurs due to loss of blood flow to the spine's neural cells, applying human neural stem cells directly to the spinal cord achieves recovery of motor function. In this specific type of paralysis, known as spinal cord ischemia, there is no mechanical damage to the spinal cord. The brain motor centers remain partially connected to the spinal cord but the loss of inhibitory neurons leads to the degeneration of muscle control in lower limbs.
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Artificial Disc Treats Lower Back Pain
Jumping off rooftops, running through burning buildings, crashing cars, it's all in a day's work for Jeff Gibson. "I did Batman movies, Robocop, Conspiracy Theory, War of the Worlds." Some would call Hollywood stuntman, Jeff Gibson, a dare-devil adrenaline machine. In addition to performing life-threatening stunts as a livelihood, Jeff also skydives, races cars and scuba-dives. But, it wasn't on the movie set or on the race track that sparked Jeff's battle with excruciating back pain. It was a simple house chore.
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