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New research suggests that the physical postures, breathing exercises, and mindfulness practices of yoga may benefit individuals with back pain. In the study, 10 women with and 11 without chronic low back pain underwent an 8‐session yoga program over 4 weeks, with the first session conducted in a clinic and the rest delivered with a tele‐approach. Women with chronic low back pain experienced a significant decrease in pain intensity, as assessed through a 10-point visual analog scale (an average pain of 6.80 at the start, dropped to 3.30 after the sessions) and through a spine-related measure called the flexion–relaxation phenomenon,...

Patients who first seek physical therapy or chiropractic care have better outcomes and shorter episodes of acute care for low back pain, according to research. The findings show that for patients with acute episodes of low back pain, the first point of entry to the health care system is associated with utilization and total cost of care in the following year. Clinical practice guidelines prioritize nonpharmacologic and nonsurgical treatments. Patients are often prescribed opioid pain medications or referred to specialists for procedures—including surgery, imaging or steroid injections—that do not address the root causes of their pain. By combing through nearly...

Here are the positions that the experts recommend. Sleeping on your back Advantages: Reduces aches and pains in the lower back and neck Supports your spine so your muscles can relax and recover Helps relieve congestion, especially if you elevate your torso Helps reduce the risk of developing facial wrinkles Disadvantages: Increases the risk of airway collapse for those who snore or have sleep apnea Raises pressure levels for certain types of back pain Increases episodes of acid reflux Raises gravity pressure to make it more difficult to breathe, making it unsuitable for older or heavier people Causes a fetus...

Low back pain seriously affects the quality of life and increases the economic burden on families and society[1,2]. Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the main pathogenic factor of low back pain, but its pathological mechanism has not yet been elucidated[3]. Therefore, exploring the pathological mechanism of IDD and seeking new methods for the prevention and treatment of degenerative disc diseases is of great significance to human health. Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells play an important role by secreting a large amount of extracellular matrix (ECM) such as aggrecan and collagen type II to maintain the normal physiological function of the intervertebral...

Background/Aim: Increased oxidative stress plays a crucial role in pathogenesis of various diseases. The present study aims to investigate glutathione reductase (GR) and malondialdehyde (MDA) enzymes as markers of oxidative stress mechanisms in lumbar disc degeneration disease (LDDD). Patients and Methods: The study group consisted of 39 patients diagnosed with LDD and 37 healthy individuals in the control group. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to determine serum GR and MDA levels in the two study groups. Results: Serum GR levels were significantly lower (p=0.008), while MDA levels were significantly higher in the patient group compared to the...

Brandon Goodwin, an NBA player, suffered blood clots shortly after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. Goodwin is a former point guard for the Atlanta Hawks whose season ended early after developing the clots. Goodwin has not signed with another NBA team since being released from the Hawks after his diagnosis. “I got sick, and I never quite recovered from it,” Goodwin said on a Twitch stream. “I would always have back pain. I was just super tired in the games. I was so tired. I felt like I couldn’t run up and down the court. My back was hurting. My back...

(University of Cambridge) Scientists have revealed a fascinating new design for an incredibly tiny, inflatable spinal cord implant, suited for treating severe chronic back pain that doesn't respond to medication. The inflatable electronic device is part of a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) setup, a type of well-established therapy that delivers mild electric currents to a person's spinal cord via implanted electrodes. That current is sent by a small, implanted pulse generator device, and the whole thing reduces pain because the electrical pulses help to mask pain signals traveling to the brain via the spinal cord. If that all sounds rather...

Full Title: "Fresh blow for Mars missions as researchers find long-duration space travel causes crippling back pain that can last for up to four YEARS" The changes in muscle composition are still present up to four years after long-duration spaceflight, according to the new research by Katelyn Burkhart, MS, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and colleagues. They write, 'Spaceflight-induced changes in paraspinal muscle morphology may contribute to back pain commonly reported in astronauts.' The researchers analyzed computed tomography (CT) scans of the lumbar (lower) spine in 17 astronauts and cosmonauts who flew missions on the International Space Station. Scans obtained...

Back pain is a common problem. According to the World Health Organization, various diseases of the musculoskeletal system affect almost 80 percent of the population. Here is how your sleeping position can change your back pain. Everyone at least once in their life has dealt with back pain. "Computers, office work, and other joys of modern society affect human health,” says neuroscientist Matthew Walker, director of the Center for Science of Human Sleep at the University of California at Berkeley. But there is another reason for back pain, which few people have thought of...

Anyone who has endured back pain knows it is an erratic dictator. It takes hold of your psyche, demanding your attention and devotion before all else—before you can plan a hike, return to a work routine, pick up your child for a hug. So when someone offers to make that dictator disappear, it’s hard to resist—no matter what the price. “People in pain are poor decision-makers,” says the investigative journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin, author of a new book, Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery. Millions such bad decisions, she argues, have fueled a...

The radical findings follow years of debate about the cause of such discomfort and the best way to treat it. One leading neurosurgeon said the finding was a “turning point” so important that the researchers behind it deserved a Nobel prize. But infection experts cautioned against widespread long-term prescribing of antibiotics, which could increase drug resistance across the population, triggering a rise in superbugs. Around five million people in Britain will suffer chronic back pain at some point in their lives, and the cause is often not clear.

Erica Jong: “Yesterday, Jane Fonda sent me an email to tell me that she cried all night and can’t cure her ailing back for all the stress that has reduces her to a bundle of nerves.” Ah, the most entertaining presidential race in my adult life just became more amusing as our “Fear of Flying” feminist gives an expatriate interview to Corriere della Sera, an Italian newspaper. Jong is worried that Republican John McCain will win. So are all her friends. Hanoi Jane is waking in the middle of the night to cold sweats? Well, she is well past menopause...

Victims of chronic back pain were offered fresh hope with news of successful 'spinal transplant' surgery. Spinal discs from accident victims were transplanted into patients with disc degeneration in the cervical spine, the area nearest the neck. All reported improvements in their mobility and a reduction in symptoms such as weakness of the legs and bladder. A report in The Lancet says the pioneering treatment, carried out in China, offers hope for thousands of sufferers of severe disc problems, particularly young people. They often cannot be helped by existing treatments such as spinal fusion - which surgically joins bones in...

A radical new treatment could bring relief to millions of back pain sufferers, scientists said today. A team at the University of Manchester has developed a stem cell cure that could totally regenerate damaged tissues. Low back pain affects up to 80 per cent of the population at some point, and in many cases becomes persistent, eventually leading to debilitating pain. It is usually caused by the degeneration of the tissue between the discs in the back, which becomes dry and no longer able to support the body. Current treatments rely on strong painkillers or risky surgery, and aim to...

WASHINGTON -- People who suffer from a spinal problem that can cause back and leg pain have an alternative to difficult surgery with a newly approved device that requires a much less invasive procedure to implant. The Food and Drug Administration authorized use of the "X-stop" - a thumb of titanium on a mount that fits to a vertebra in the lower back - to reduces pain from lumbar spinal stenosis. The FDA's approval was announced Tuesday by the St. Mary's Spine Center in San Francisco, which developed the device. The condition is the most common cause of back surgery...

Speculation mounted yesterday that ``American Idol'' judge Paula Abdul may be voted off the hit reality show after ABC airs a damning investigation tomorrow night. Abdul, who has been under fire for erratic on-air behavior, may voluntarily vacate the judge's podium after ``Primetime Live'' airs answering-machine messages she left for a 24-year-old contestant. The Drudge Report says Abdul personally coached the contestant and then tried to cover it up. Speculation surrounds Corey Clark, who was run off the show last season after it was revealed he assaulted his teenage sister. Clark is peddling a tell-all biography in which he claims...

ST. LOUIS, March 28 -- Sen. John F. Kerry, by most measures an unusually fit 60-year-old, has spent key parts of his presidential campaign battling ailments ranging from prostate cancer to a stubborn cough and cold. Kerry frequently complains to reporters of a stiff right shoulder or allergies that leave his voice raspy and sore. For much of this year, Kerry has curtailed speaking and sipped hot lemon tea to nurse a voice strained by hacking and yakking. In mid-February, he described the ailment to reporters as a "chest thing" and griped about its persistence. On Wednesday, Kerry will undergo...

Study: Don't Avoid Opioids to Treat Back Pain By Holly VanScoy HealthScoutNews Reporter (HealthScoutNews) -- Doctors and pharmacists tend to avoid prescribing them, patients are afraid of becoming addicted to them, and government officials are concerned about their abuse. It's little wonder that opioids have acquired something of an unsavory reputation in medicine. But is it all deserved? A new study suggests it's a mistake to ignore the potential value of these powerful pain relievers for chronic conditions, including musculoskeletal pain and lower back pain. There's evidence that opioids such as morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl can help and should be...

Beating out every health problem from depression to allergies, back pain ranks at the top of student-reported health complaints, according to the latest data from the Student Health Center. Forty-five percent of the 510 students surveyed said they had experienced back pain within the last school year. Experts attribute back pain in the college years primarily to prolonged immobility and incorrect posture. "It's cool just to slouch," said Eric Lim, a freshman majoring in computer science. "You don't want to be all uptight." Poorly designed seating in USC lecture halls, classrooms and computer workstations also contributes to back pain among...