North American Spine The Leader in Minimally Invasive Spine Care
Running Wise with Low Back Pain
Stcok images by: © Can Stock Photo Inc.
Also in this issue: ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ›› ››
Royals Share Your Back Pain Spine Surgery for Stronger Bones Discectomy Doesn’t Discriminate on Age Turning Spinal Stenosis Upside Down Ladies Rule When It Comes to Herniated Disc Pain Debate over Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Treatment Pro Pitchers and Herniated Disc Injuries
North American Spine Courtesy Magazine | June 2013
Running Wise
with Low Back Pain
If you love running but suffer with chronic low back pain, what information should you be considering? Typically, sports-related low back pain involves muscle strain. This occurs suddenly after lifting, bending or jogging too far without warming up. It also develops from running with incorrect form, leading to compromised biomechanics in the stride. Muscle strain can feel like spasms toward the center of the low back. Treatment usually involves home remedies, a brief rest from the activity, and over the counter pain and inflammatory medication. If your pain lingers, worsens or if you experience neurological symptoms like weakness, numbness, tingling or radiating pain; you may have a more serious condition such as a herniated disc or degenerative disc disease. Continued stress from the repetitive impact on your vertebral column can worsen your condition. Your spine specialist may advise against high impact running in favor of low-impact sports such as swimming or cycling. With the correct diagnosis and treatment, together with patience and a positive attitude, you should expect to lace up those running shoes again!
Royals SHARE Your Back Pain
Would you feel better knowing that you are in the company of royalty? At least that is, when it comes to back pain.
King Juan Carlos
Queen Elizabeth II
News reports revealed that Spain’s monarch King Juan Carlos recently underwent successful surgery to repair a herniated disc and relieve nerve compression from spinal stenosis. The 75-year-old royal is expected to make a full recovery in a few months. This came shortly after his hip surgery resulting from an elephant hunting expedition. In a related story—literally and figuratively—Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, a distant cousin of King Juan Carlos, suffers with her own back pain woes. In October, incapacitating back pain forced her to cut back on her impressively hectic schedule, according to a report in Britain’s Mail Online. She is in great health but has suffered with, sciatica-related back pain over the years. If hunting elephants or attending state dinners for global leaders is not on your weekly calendar, at least it’s reassuring to know that royals and regular folk alike face the same disabling pain when it comes to spine conditions. © yahoo.com, metro.us
Spine Surgery for Stronger Bones
Scientists from Japan’s University of Toyama recently conducted research on the impact of lumbar spinal surgery on bone mineral density. They were attempting to determine whether bone mineral density increased in the period following a surgical procedure. People who undergo spine surgery are often unable to be physically active or may even be confined to bed due to their injury or condition like degenerative disc disease. The scientists measured hipbone mineral density of 47 patients (who were all over the age of 60) before surgery and again at the 1 and 2-year post-surgery period. The results showed that following surgery, bone mineral density decreased somewhat in the hip and spine, but at the 2-year checkup, improvements were found in both areas. The report concluded that the improved measures were related to post-surgery walking.
This study, published in the journal Spine, reinforces what we know about the healthy benefits of exercise: staying active is excellent prevention for age-related ailments like degenerative disc disease. The study suggests that even when spine surgery is needed, it is never too late to improve your bone health. So pack in your nutrients and stay active.
Discectomy Doesn’t Discriminate on Age
We now have some promising news from a study out of China. According to medical researchers from the Chengdu University and the Chongqing University, the outlook is quite good for elderly patients who suffer with back pain from herniated discs and undergo a discectomy and/or laminectomy procedure.
But can they expect similar outcomes experienced by their younger counterparts? In the Chinese study, 64 patients over the age of 80 underwent discectomies and laminectomies for herniated discs. The safety of the surgery was evaluated on the basis of the surgery duration, blood loss, complications and length of hospital stay. Clinical outcomes were also evaluated. The findings showed that with the exception of the hospital stay, all other indicators were similar to those of the middle-aged group. Despite longer hospital stays, the older patients expressed overall satisfaction with their outcomes. With increasing life expectancy in the developed world, and medical breakthroughs, it is more exciting than ever to focus on extending the quality of life among older adults. From preventative health to elective surgery that can restore function, longer and active lives are attainable.
Turning Spinal Stenosis Upside Down
Hang on before rushing to try this wacky therapy some say helps decompress the spine and ease back pain from conditions like spinal stenosis. It looks like something performed in Cirque du Soleil. Maybe you recently watched late night TV’s Chelsea Handler or America’s news darling Katie Couric, trying out this aerial yoga trend. Touted benefits range from therapeutic to weight loss and increased happiness. New York’s ABC News recently featured a story on aerial yoga. While swaying through the air, suspended upside down from swaths of fabric affixed to the ceiling, practitioners execute dramatic yoga poses. However, people with conditions like glaucoma and high blood pressure are at risk from blood rush to the head. Those with spinal issues are also cautioned to avoid this practice. In the report, a physiatrist from the Hospital for Special Surgery cautioned that individuals with back pain from spinal stenosis and lumbar inflammation should avoid this yoga since lumbar hyperextension and traction at inflamed spinal joints are unsafe. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME, Ladies and Gentlemen! But, when the circus comes to your town, be sure to check out those gravity-defying aerialists. (Um…yoga practitioners?)
Ladies Rule when It Comes to Herniated Disc Pain
Scientists discovered that when it comes to chronic low back pain and sciatica from herniated discs, ladies beat the guys. A Norwegian study, presented at the April Annual Meeting of the Academy of Pain Medicine, revealed that compared to men, women experience longer recoveries from pain, leading to more chronic pain conditions. This is due to a genetic variant that actually curbs pain in men, but advances pain in women. Data from approximately 300 patients with prolapsed discs (closely related to herniated discs) was reviewed for a year. Although more men than women, with low back and sciatica pain, were hospitalized by the end of the study period; fewer
women than men had recovered among the remaining one third of patients with chronic pain. Approximately 1 in 4 people have a gene variant affecting pain perception, but women experience more intense pain than the men with the deviation. While the results of the research study do not provide any real ‘winning’ news for women, future research may lead to gender specific treatment methods that are more effective. The information will also be helpful in developing preventative therapies.
Debate over Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Treatment
The best treatment for chronic low back pain might depend on whom you ask. This is what researchers, led by an assistant professor of neurosurgery from the Duke University School of Medicine, suggested in a study they presented at the 2012 North American Neuromodulation Society Meeting. They wanted to learn why patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) were not subsequently treated with spinal cord stimulation as often as they underwent re-operation. FBSS might occur when someone experiences chronic low back and leg pain, despite undergoing bulging disc surgery for sciatica symptoms arising from a herniated disc. This may be due to the fact that there was more than one herniated disc and now a second procedure might be required. According to Pain Medicine News, more research is needed to promote spinal cord stimulation as a treatment option for individuals who continue to suffer with chronic pain despite undergoing spine surgery. The AccuraScope® procedure can effectively treat FBSS and also reduces the risk for developing the condition in the first place. The surgeon can also treat multiple discs if necessary during a single procedure.
Pro Pitchers
and Herniated Disc Injuries Injury patterns are associated with specific positions within particular sports. For example, baseball pitchers can be prone to lumbar disc herniation. According to recent news reports, Texas Rangers pitcher Matt Harrison underwent spine surgery to repair an injured disc pressing on a nerve, which was causing him to experience leg weakness and low back pain. A recent study, from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, noted that the repetitive torque movement in baseball pitching might worsen an initial injury. For those of you pitching in neighborhood leagues: ›› Don’t overdo it in a single game ›› Limit pitching to the game season and a single league ›› Pitch with proper technique—invest in personal coaching ›› Strengthen core muscles, including legs and hips to protect the spine ›› If you feel any pain in your back, stop pitching and do not ‘tough it out’
According to the Dallas Morning News, the procedure treating Harrison’s L5-S1 disc was successful and he is expected to recover in about three months. The article noted that it was fortunate he had the successful procedure so that permanent nerve damage would be prevented.
© zimbio.com
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