Medicine Information

How You Can Erase Low Back Pain Using the Latest Medical Techniques!


"If you're one the nine out of ten adults in the United States who suffers from low back pain, I have good news for you!" states Dr. Nathan Wei, a board-certified rheumatologist and Clinical Director of the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland.

"Low back pain is the most expensive work-related injury as well as the third most common reason for a surgical procedure," Dr. Wei adds.

The spine is a complex collection...
It consists of bones, called vertebrae, and the joints that allow them to interact; discs that separate the vertebrae from each other; the spinal cord and nerves; the soft tissues such as muscles and ligaments that help hold the spine together. Your spine has 3 major functions including protecting the spinal cord, supporting the body in an upright position, and allowing the body to move freely.

The four major categories of low back pain are:

? Mechanical- arising from either trauma or repetitive motion

? Degenerative- usually from arthritic causes

? Systemic- arising from medical illnesses

? Stress-induced

Mechanical causes are responsible for more than 90% of back pain and the most common cause of back pain is probably muscle injury due to strain or sprain. Other common causes include disc herniation, spondylolisthesis (a condition where the vertebra slips on the one below it), spinal stenoiss (narrowing of the canal that carries the spinal cord), scoliosis (curvature of the spine), osteoporosis (a disease where the bones become fragile and break), and arthritis. Bone tumors are another potential cause.

"Treatment is entirely dependent on diagnosis!"
Dr. Wei says, "There are simple ways to help your back. For instance use the log roll technique to get into and out of bed. Think of your body as a log, and make sure you move it as a unit... rolling into and out of bed."... He says, "use the same idea when getting into and out of your car. Don't twist or stick one leg one way and the other leg a different way. Move your body as a unit..."

Check your work area
Make sure your computer, chair, and other parts of your work environment are "friendly" to your back. Good support for your low back as well as your legs is important.

Exercise regularly
Dr. Wei reminds us, "...Stretching is important for your spine?Since rotation is a key movement and the upright position is part of our daily routine, we need to incorporate exercises that stretch and strengthen those muscles that are important for twisting and for posture."

Space Age Treatment
"A new addition to our low back pain tool kit is a procedure device called intervertebral disc decompression or IDD. It helps decompress the vertebrae non-surgically, and non-invasively. Studies to date have shown a response rate of up to 86%," adds Dr. Wei

Dr. Wei concludes, "Surgical procedures are a last ditch effort...and should be reserved for patients who have pain unresponsive to conservative treatment or who have a progressive neurologic problem."

Dr. Wei (pronounced "way") is a board-certified rheumatologist and Clinical Director of the nationally respected Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and has served as a consultant to the Arthritis Branch of the National Institutes of Health. He is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians. For more information on arthritis and related conditions, go to: http://www.arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Growing number of primary-care doctors adopt concierge medicine
Arizona Republic, AZ - 6 hours ago
Concierge medicine is an appealing option for some primary-care doctors who want to break free from the assembly-line method of patient care that they say ...


Enews 2.0

Medpedia Announced, World's Largest Collaborative Online ...
FOXBusiness - 14 hours ago
The Medpedia Project today announced the formation of the world's largest collaborative online encyclopedia of medicine called Medpedia. ...
World's largest online medical encyclopedia planned San Jose Mercury News
Doctors, Ph.Ds to edit new Wikipedia of medical information Computerworld
MedPedia Is Wikifying the Medical Search Space Washington Post
Telegraph.co.uk - Medical News Today
all 46 news articles


US Preventive Medicine Partners with Freeman Health System
MarketWatch - 14 hours ago
The wide-reaching partnership will allow Freeman Health System to offer employers The Prevention Plan(TM), US Prevention Medicine's groundbreaking ...
High costs of healthy people Sarasota Herald-Tribune
all 7 news articles


Personalized Medicine Coalition Announces Two New Board Members
FOXBusiness - 14 hours ago
The PMC, an educational and advocacy group dedicated to advancing the understanding and adoption of personalized medicine, was launched in 2004 by more than ...


New Report Examines Current Use and Future Impact on Global ...
MarketWatch - 33 minutes ago
Evidence-based medicine is defined as an attempt to use standards from scientifically-collected evidence to improve medical practices by assessing risks and ...


A bad week for alternative medicine
guardian.co.uk, UK - 10 hours ago
Rose Shapiro explains how to spot a quack Could this be the moment when alternative medicine finally gets the reputation it deserves and is seen for what it ...


Cricketnext.com

Asif seeks British medicine expert's help
Cricketnext.com, India - 6 hours ago
PTI Karachi: Pakistan's suspended pace bowler Mohammad Asif is trying to hire the services of renowned sports medicine expert from England Dr Graham Durgan ...


They Know What's in Your Medicine Cabinet
BusinessWeek - 5 hours ago
by Chad Terhune That prescription you just picked up at the drugstore could hurt your chances of getting health insurance. An untold number of people have ...


Would-be Tacoma robber gets taste of own medicine
KOMO News, WA - 10 hours ago
Meys didn't have a gun, but one of the doctors did and decided to give the suspect some of his own medicine. "Suddenly (the doctor) pulls a gun out and says ...


Los Angeles Times

Victor McKusick; Genetics Pioneer
Washington Post, United States - 8 hours ago
"Just as the gross anatomy in the Middle Ages was important to medicine, every [medical] specialty now uses mapping genes for diseases. ...
McKusick, pioneer in medical genetics, dies at 86 The Associated Press
McKusick was often referred to as the father of medical genetics Baltimore Sun
Genetics Pioneer Dies at 86 ABC2 News
Los Angeles Times - Examiner.com
all 112 news articles

Medicine - Google News

home | site map | Dr. Thad Thomas
© 2006