It Hurts When I Work

Posted on May 25, 2008
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The world doesn’t stop for back pain. That means you may get a few days off because of back pain, but eventually you have to go to work. The best thing to do is learn some office moves and positions that will keep your spine muscles from tightening and your spine from compressing. You also want to prevent back pain as much as possible of course.

When you’re at work try doing some light spine stretching exercises throughout the day. You don’t have to make a big scene. You just need to do some things like forward stretches, neck rolls and some twisting moves. You should do these exercises gently though and don’t go overboard with the twisting moves. The goal is to keep the back limber so it doesn’t tense up. If you need a new chair that gives low back support, you should show your boss proof you have a back problem. Most companies go out of their way today to accommodate health problems.

Baby Makes My Back Hurt

Posted on May 25, 2008
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When you’re pregnant, developing back pain is very normal. The pain can range from mild to severe, but you just have to try and manage the pain as best you can. There are some things you can do that will probably relieve a lot of the pain. You can make sure you keep your posture straight and don’t start letting the baby pull you forward to the point you curve your spine. Also you should try to do regular light exercise like yoga, some selective pilates or walking.

Why do pregnant women experience back pain besides the obvious weight of the baby? One reason is that progesterone is produced in a greater quantity. It’s a hormone that softens ligaments and tendons so a woman has an easier time during birth. Another reason is the muscles are stretched to the point they can’t do their job of spine support as well. Of course, all the memories of pregnancy back pain fade quickly once you meet your baby for the first time.

How Do I Know When Surgery is the Answer

Posted on May 25, 2008
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Most back pain isn’t treated with surgery as much anymore. Surgery is too risky. But if you are considering whether to have surgery, you should make sure you’ve tried everything else first. Spine surgery should always be a last choice and not a first option. That means you might have to aggressively let your doctor know he or she should try everything in their arsenal of treatments before recommending surgery. Also, the doctor should be able to tell you with certainty that surgery has a good chance of fixing what’s causing the pain. That right there tells you why the number of spinal surgeries are declining. It’s really hard to say with any certainty that surgery will fix a back pain problem. You don’t want to be a guinea pig, but it’s up to you to tell the doctor. I would see at least 2 and probably 3 different doctors before I’d agree to surgery.

What the X-Rays Show

Posted on May 25, 2008
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Usually, if the doctor decides he or she needs to actually look at the bones of the spine, an X-ray is ordered. But even if you get an x-ray that doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly have all the answers. The x-ray can only show bones and not muscles, tendons or ligaments. So if your back pain is not due to broken bones, slipped vertebrae or other bone problems the x-ray is pretty much useless. Some doctors just skip right to the MRI or CAT scan instead.

Taking x-rays has been such a routine practice for so long now it’s probably ordered sometimes more out of habit. As the new procedures become more widely used I would expect the x-ray to be used less and less for back pain diagnosis purposes. Of course, x-rays are good from the viewpoint they are often done right in the doctors’ offices now, are painless and give speedy results. Just don’t be too disappointed when you don’t find out the first trip what’s causing your pain.

Did My Cholesterol Drug Cause the Problem?

Posted on May 25, 2008
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There are plenty of wonder drugs on the market for every ailment. The new cholesterol preventing drugs are on the list of “great discoveries” – for now. Apparently drugs like Lipitor are statins, and statins can cause muscle weakness if used for long periods of time. In fact, some people are claiming they now have permanent muscle damage in their backs because of extreme weakness. Of course, the company that makes Lipitor denies their drug causes back pain.

Lipitor back pain is a raging debate right now. There are even lawsuits that have been filed against the drug company. But the problem is proving there is a direct connection between using Lipitor and developing back pain. If you are taking the drug and do begin to experience muscle weakness or back pain, you should report it to your doctor right away. There’s no sense taking a chance with your back.