Will standing instead of sitting at desks reduce stress and absenteeism?
Our company is going to move us away from sitting at desks more toward a standing station. This is supposed to help us reduce our work stress and hopefully reduce absenteeism due to back problems. Do other companies have as much problem with lost productivity due to back disability as we do? There's no doubt that lost productivity due to back pain is a major problem in the work force. This has been reported in most developed countries around the world. And with fewer younger adults entering cert...
What does it mean when my back pain is going down my right leg when I slouch?
I've been having some back pain lately that seems to be getting worse. Now it's going down my right leg. I notice if I sit up straight, the pain is better. If I slouch, the pain is worse. What does this mean? You may be conducting your own "slump" test -- a test often used by Physical Therapists and physicians to assess the neural (nerve tissue) structures. The slump test involves assuming a "slumped" position: sitting with spine flexed forward (bent over) and head and neck forward flexed (chin ...
How do professional athletes get a herniated disk and six weeks later they are back on the field?
How do professional athletes get a herniated disk and six weeks later they are back on the field? I exercise almost everyday but when I got my disk problem, I was out of commission for a good six months. What's "normal" here? Between the vertebral bones of the spine is an intervertebral disc. The discs provide a cushion or shock absorber for the spine. Each disc is made up of two parts. The center, called the nucleus, is spongy. It provides most of the disc's ability to absorb shock. The nucleus...
What happens to people who are diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis?
I've been diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis. What happens to people like me who get this condition? Spinal stenosis describes a clinical syndrome of buttock or leg pain. These symptoms may occur with or without back pain. It is a condition in which the nerves in the spinal canal are closed in, or compressed.The spinal canal is the hollow tube formed by the bones of the spinal column. Anything that causes this bony tube to shrink can squeeze the nerves inside. As a result of many years of we...
What's the best way to predict prognosis after the first episode of low back pain?
What's the best way to predict prognosis after the first episode of low back pain? Prognosis by definition is the forecast of what will probably happen and the outcome of an illness, injury, disease or other condition. Prognosis especially looks at the chances for recovery. Many times, recovery is based on pain relief, ability to perform daily activities, and return-to-work.The natural history of back pain (what happens over time) varies from person to person. Scientists have not been able to ac...
What are my chances of full recovery for back pain?
I'm back to work after four weeks off for back pain but the pain isn't gone. I just suck it up and do my job, but I'm wondering if I'll ever get back to my old self. What are my chances for a full recovery? Without knowing more of the details of your specific situation, it is difficult to predict what may happen. We do know from the many studies done in this area that on any given day in America, 10 per cent of the people are experiencing back pain. And that over the course of a lifetime, 80 per...
Is Pilates a good treatment for low back pain?
What do you think about Pilates for the treatment of low back pain? I hear some of my friends swear by it and others say it made them worse. I've just started having some back problems so I want to head it off at the pass, so-to-speak. Various studies have been done trying to identify the best way to approach back pain. Clearly, staying active and exercising seems to help. But the key question remains: what's the best type of exercise for this problem?Some of the exercise methods currently being...
Fear-avoidance behaviors related to chronic back pain
I discovered the hard way that I am what they call a "catastrophizer" and I have a problem called fear-avoidance behaviors (FABs). This all relates to my chronic back pain. Yesterday I heard a report that they now have figured out there are different kinds of fear-avoidance behaviors. What kinds are there? As you have discovered for yourself, fear-avoidance behaviors (FABs) refer to ways people with chronic pain change their behavior, actions, movements, and activities. These changes are based o...
Will exercise make severe degernation of the spine worse?
I'm mystified by the advice I've gotten for my back pain. It seems serious to me with severe degeneration of the spine and disc narrowing at all levels in my low back yet the doctor I'm seeing and the Physical Therapist are insisting I need to exercise, stretch, and keep moving. Won't increased activity make it worse? Many fears patients have around back pain are unfounded and become an obstacle to recovery. Patients put much more importance on back pain and assume the pain means the spine is we...
Any suggestions for back pain for football players?
I took on the job of assistant coach for a college football team. Many of the athletes had back pain during the playing season. Is this typical? If not, I need to take a closer look at what we might be doing wrong. Any suggestions? Low back pain seems to be something most people experience at least once in a while. Many studies have confirmed this fact. Up to 90 per cent of all adults report an episode of back pain once in their lifetime. Despite a high level of fitness and even flexibility, ath...
Will losing weight help extreme low back pain?
I have extreme low back pain and the doc says "lose weight." Will losing weight help? That's a very good question. Patients with low back pain who are overweight or obese are often advised to lose weight. That sounds like good advise, but some experts question whether there is any evidence that weight loss is linked with reduction of back pain. In other words, is it worth all the calorie restriction, exercise, meal replacement, and group therapy needed to accomplish the goal?A recent pilot study...
I am overweight and injured my back -- any hope for me?
Q: I fell from a ladder and hurt my back. I'm out on worker's compensation with no hope of getting back to work the way I feel right now. I'm also quite a bit overweight. Is there any hope for me? Your situation sounds like a complex one. It may take more than a few visits to your physician to find a management plan that works for you. Usually a team approach is best for cases like this.By team we mean a physician to help you with pain management and a Physical Therapist to help restore normal ...
Will my low back pain just go away by itself?
Is there any chance my low back pain will just go away by itself eventually? I've had it for eight months now. It gets better, then worse, then better, etc. What happens to a condition like low back pain over time without treatment is referred to as the natural course of that particular problem. Most people do seek help for their low back pain, so the true natural course isn't easy to discern.Thanks to some research being done in Switzerland, we may one-step closer to an answer to this question....
Can I go back to work? I hurt my back 6 weeks ago.
I hurt my back at work six weeks ago and I'm still hobbling around. My wife wants me to give it more time before going back to work. Mentally, I'm ready and my job does keep me moving around, which seems to help. What do you think? Researchers from the Netherlands recently put together a report that summarizes the evidence on deconditioning and chronic low back pain. They took a look at all the studies done on chronic low back pain sufferers with two things in mind: physical activity levels and ...
Do I have to live with chronic low back pain?
After six years of suffering with low back pain with no known cause, my doctor tells me I'm just going to have to learn to live with the pain. That's just not acceptable to me. Are there any other options for people like me? No one doubts that patients with chronic low back pain have pain and even an underlying cause for that pain. But what to do about it can be a baffling challenge. Scientists, researchers, doctors, and Physical Therapists have not been able to find one individual treatment tha...
Do I have to exercise to heal my lower back pain?
I've had bouts of low back pain off and on for the last three years. I notice when I work out at the gym I feel better. As soon as I lay off the exercise, the back pain is back. Will I ever heal or am I stuck with the daily gym routine?
How can I exercise when my back hurts?
I've had back pain off and on for the last six months. The doctor can't find anything wrong and has strongly advised me to exercise. How can I exercise when my back hurts?
How do I know when it is safe go go back to work?
I've been off work with low back pain for the last six weeks. I'm better now but not pain free. How do I know when it's safe to go back to work?
What is core training and what does it do?
I've been in rehab for a back injury. My program is going to be changed next week to "core training." What is it and what does it do?
Do I need to work through the pain?
I've been going to a new pain clinic that specializes in low back pain. They seem to have the approach that I need to work through the pain. I thought the idea that no pain, no gain was no longer used.
What's the best way to get a bad back back to normal?
I've always had friends and family members with back pain but I prided myself in never having that problem. Well, guess what? I'm 55-years-old, newly retired, and down with a bad back. What's the best way to get back to normal?
What can I do for an old back injury that is acting up?
I'm starting to slip into a deep funk. A back injury years ago is acting up and causing pain everyday now. I'm not sleeping well. I can't exercise or golf like I used to. I've got to get this turned around. What can I do?
Can I avoid surgery by seeing a PT for lumbar disc herniation?
I was just diagnosed with my second lumbar disc herniation. The first one was at L45. This one is higher up around L23. I was able to see a Physical Therapist for the first one and avoid surgery. What are the chances I can do that again with this one?
Chronic low back pain
I'm going to a pain clinic now to try and help me with my chronic low back pain. Everyone seems convinced that the answer is exercise. I like to exercise and I always have, but it doesn't really seem to make a difference in my level of pain. How come I'm not getting the same results as everyone else?