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Back Pain Therapy Often Yields Early Benefits: Study
Posted 13 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 14 – People who receive treatment for chronic and acute low-back pain show significant improvement in the first six weeks, but may still have some pain and disability after one year, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed data from 33 studies that included more than 11,000 patients to learn more about how treatment affects low-back pain. Their findings appear in the May 14 online edition of CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association. "Our review confirms the broad finding of previous reviews that the typical course of acute low-back pain is initially favorable: there is a marked reduction in mean pain and disability in the first six weeks," Dr. Christopher Maher, director of the musculoskeletal division at the George Institute for Global Health of the University of Sydney in Australia, said in a journal news release. "Beyond six weeks, improvement slows ... Read more
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Health Tip: Exercise for Healthier Bones
Posted 24 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
-- Want to keep your bones strong and healthy? Make sure you get plenty of exercise to help ward off problems such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and pain affecting the joints and lower back. The Cleveland Clinic offers these suggestions for boosting your bone health: Get low-impact exercise via activities such as swimming, walking and biking. Perform gentle stretching and strengthening exercises. Perform weight-bearing exercises such as dancing, climbing stairs, hiking and tennis. Play sports such as golf that are relatively easy on the bones and joints. Read more
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Study Questions Use of MRI Before Back-Pain Injections
Posted 12 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Dec. 12 – Patients who need steroid injections to ease lower back pain frequently undergo an MRI beforehand. But a new study finds that the expensive imaging tests have little or no clinical value for these patients. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the MRI does not typically improve results for patients who are candidates for the injection, and it has only a minor effect on doctors' decision-making. "More is not necessarily better," said study researcher Dr. Steven P. Cohen, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Hopkins. The study is published online Dec. 12 in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Lower back pain is one of the top three reasons people seek medical attention in the United States, and epidural steroid injections are the most common treatment at U.S. pain clinics. The injections deliver cortisone ... Read more
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Yoga Gets Women With Back Pain Moving: Study
Posted 31 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 31 – Another study finds that yoga classes can improve back function among people with chronic or recurrent lower back pain. While the British researchers found that yoga could help people move about and perform tasks, the ancient practice did not appear to reduce back pain itself. The finding comes on the heels of similar results from a U.S. investigation published last week by University of Washington researchers in the Archives of Internal Medicine. That study found that sufferers of chronic lower back pain could get pain relief by participating in either instructor-led yoga classes or stretching classes. Although last week's study focused on the relief of back pain, as opposed to the improvement of back function, both of the new studies found yoga classes worked better compared to people simply trying to help themselves with a self-help book on easing back pain. "Our ... Read more
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Yoga, Stretching Classes Outdo Self-Care for Back Pain: Study
Posted 24 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 24 – Yoga instruction and conventional stretching classes are equally good at relieving discomfort from chronic moderate lower-back pain, new research suggests. Both are also better than trying to manage pain on your own by following the exercise, lifestyle and flare-up advice provided in self-help books, the study found. "For a person with garden-variety back pain who is willing to move their body, the bottom-line is that a beginner's yoga class geared for back pain or a very intensive stretching exercise program would be equally suitable as a treatment," said study lead author Karen J. Sherman, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington and a senior investigator with the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle. "Now we're not talking about a person with severe back pain who is unable to move their body," Sherman cautioned. "But for the ... Read more
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Study Questions Chiropractic's Impact on Back Pain
Posted 6 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, July 6 – For the millions of Americans with chronic low back pain, a silver bullet to alleviate the condition has yet to be identified, a new study suggests. Reviewing 26 studies comparing spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) to other treatments such as medication, exercise or physical therapy, researchers from the Netherlands found that SMT appears to be no better or worse than other options at relieving back pain long-term. The analyses indicated that SMT – which involves manual manipulation of the spine and surrounding muscles – has only a short-term impact on pain relief, although it eases pain faster than other treatments. "In short, no single therapy is better than another, although some individuals are likely to have more success with one therapy than another," said study author Sidney Rubinstein, a research fellow at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. "Current ... Read more
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Massage Beats Meds for Lower Back Pain, Study Says
Posted 5 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, July 5 – Massage therapy may be better than medication or exercise for easing low back pain in the short term, a new government-funded study suggests. Seattle researchers recruited 401 patients, mostly middle-aged, female and white, all of whom had chronic low back pain. Those who received a series of either relaxation massage or structural massage were better able to work and be active for up to a year than those getting "usual medical care," which included painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants or physical therapy, the researchers found. Lead study author Daniel Cherkin, director of Group Health Research Institute, said he had expected structural massage, which manipulates specific pain-related back muscles and ligaments, would prove superior to relaxation or so-called Swedish massage, which aims to promote a feeling of body-wide relaxation. Structural ... Read more
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Treating Back Pain May Reverse Its Impact on Brain
Posted 20 May 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, May 20 – Treating chronic lower back pain can reverse pain-related changes in brain activity and function, according to a new study. Prior research has shown that people with chronic pain may experience cognitive problems and reduced gray matter in brain areas that play a role in pain processing and the emotional aspects of pain, such as anxiety and depression. But it wasn't clear if treating chronic pain could reverse those brain changes. This study included patients who had lower back pain for more than six months and underwent either spinal injections or spinal surgery to treat the pain. MRI scans of the patients' brains were conducted before and six months after their procedures. "When they came back in, we wanted to know whether their pain had lessened and whether their daily lives had improved. We wanted to see if any of the pain-related abnormalities found initially in ... Read more
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'Surgeon Enthusiasm' May Spur Higher Rates of Back Pain Procedures: Study
Posted 28 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, March 28 – "Surgeon enthusiasm" is a major reason why surgeons in some areas are more likely to recommend surgery for low back problems, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed data on more than 50,000 low back surgeries performed in the province of Ontario, Canada, between 2002 and 2006. As in the United States, Ontario has some significant area variations in spinal surgery rates. The study found that surgeons in counties with higher rates of spinal surgery were more likely to recommend surgery for back problems, meaning they had more enthusiasm. Spinal surgery rates were 20 percent higher in counties ranked in the top quarter of surgeon enthusiasm, compared with counties in the bottom quarter of surgeon enthusiasm. Patient or family-doctor enthusiasm for back surgery had no effect on spinal surgery rates, nor did local differences in rates of degenerative spinal ... Read more
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Spinal Fusion Surgery May Leave Some Back Pain Patients Worse Off: Study
Posted 23 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 23 – Spinal fusion surgery for chronic low back pain – an increasingly controversial treatment that has exploded in use over the last 20 years – leads to higher rates of permanent disability for worker's compensation patients compared to those treated non-surgically, a new study finds. Researchers randomly selected 725 people with low back pain treated with fusion surgery and 725 whose more conservative treatment included exercise and physical therapy. Participants were chosen from a pool of worker's compensation patients in Ohio whose on-the-job injuries between 1999 and 2001 resulted in chronic low back pain. When the study ended in 2006, nearly all outcome categories were worse in the surgical group. Only about a quarter had returned to work after two years, compared with two-thirds of non-surgical patients. Eleven percent were permanently disabled compared with 2 ... Read more
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Workers With Low Back Pain Benefit From Integrated Care
Posted 1 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 1 – Workers with chronic low back pain can be treated for substantially less cost by using an integrated approach to care instead of traditional medical care, a new study suggests. Chronic back pain is an enormous financial burden in developed countries, with 93 percent of the losses having to do with lost workplace productivity. Partly for this reason, researchers in the Netherlands tested a new approach among 134 patients, aged 18-65, on sick leave from work due to chronic low back pain. They were randomly assigned to receive traditional care (68 patients) or integrated care (66 patients). Integrated care included workplace assessments, treatment with graded exercise, and reassurance that despite pain, it was safe to move while increasing activity levels. The goal of integrated care was to enable a lasting return to work and improve quality of life. All the patients ... Read more
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FDA Clears Cymbalta to Treat Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
Posted 5 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
Indications include osteoarthritis, chronic lower back pain ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 4, 2010--The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) to treat chronic musculoskeletal pain, including discomfort from osteoarthritis and chronic lower back pain. Cymbalta was first used to treat major depressive disorder in 2004. “Up to three quarters of the population experience chronic pain at some time in their lives," said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “This approval means that many of those people now have another treatment option.” Since its initial approval, about 30 million patients in the United States have used Cymbalta. It was approved for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in 2004; generalized anxiety disorder and maintenance treatment of major depression in 2007; and fibromyalgia in 2008 ... Read more
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Docs May Be Slow to Diagnose Arthritis of Back, Study Suggests
Posted 23 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, July 23 – Doctors add as much as $10,000 to patient's medical costs by strictly following guidelines regarding the diagnosis of arthritis-related back pain, a new study suggests. The study authors report that it isn't necessary to perform diagnostic nerve blocks to prove arthritis is a cause of pain. Instead, they recommend that doctors skip that step and turn directly to another treatment – radiofrequency denervation – when they think arthritis is the culprit. Radiofrequency denervation, a common, noninvasive procedure, disrupts the nerve-pain signals in arthritic joints. "The whole way we're doing this is wrong," study leader Dr. Steven P. Cohen, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a university news release. "If we just do the radiofrequency procedure first, we're going to help more ... Read more
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Understanding Back Pain May Improve Management, Study Suggests
Posted 7 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, July 7 – The attitudes, beliefs and health literacy of people with chronic low back pain influence how they manage their pain, Australian researchers report. Health literacy is the ability to find, understand and use health information. Low levels of health literacy are associated with poor outcomes in many chronic conditions, but this relationship has not been studied previously in people with low back pain (LBP), according to background information about the study, which appears in the August issue of the journal Pain. The study included 56 adults with LBP and 61 adults with no history of back pain. They provided information about severity of back pain, LBP-related disability, fear avoidance, beliefs about LBP, and pain catastrophizing (the tendency to have a fixation about pain and feel unable to cope with it). The researchers also assessed the participants' health ... Read more
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New Clues to Herniated Disc Pain
Posted 30 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, June 30 – An immune cell known to cause inflammation in autoimmune disorders may play a role in back pain associated with herniated discs, says a new study. This finding adds to growing evidence that an immune response is a major factor in spinal disc disease. It may eventually help lead to new treatments that target a specific immune process to treat or even possibly reverse disc disease, according to the Duke University Medical Center researchers. The immune cell – known as cytokine molecule interleukin-17 (IL-17) – appears to help set in motion the painful inflammation associated with disc disease. A herniated disc occurs when the outer layer of cartilage cracks, and pieces of the softer inner material of the disc protrude into the spinal canal, first author Dr. Mohammed Shamji, a senior neurosurgery resident at the Ottawa Hospital in Canada, explained in a Duke news ... Read more
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