“Oh, the weather outside is frightful,” but your back – and neck — may not be feeling so delightful unless you took the necessary precautions to protect the spine from winter’s cold and activity perils. Falls on ice, especially while carrying grocery bags and packages, and improper snow-shoveling techniques – putting stress on the back… Continue reading Why Winter Can Become a Pain in the Back – and Neck
Category: Back Pain
7 Surprising Causes of Back Pain
Most of us know the usual culprits of back pain; stress, excess body weight, improper lifting technique, and poor posture. While these are the typical causes, unexpected issues can be causing all that agony. Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non organic – meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as… Continue reading 7 Surprising Causes of Back Pain
Are My High Heels Causing My Chronic Back Pain?
Every day, millions of women dress according to the dictates of fashion – right down to their toes – and complete their outfits with high-heeled shoes in every possible color, fabric, and style. Most women are well aware of discomfort, the difficulty of running for a bus, and the toll on their feet as they… Continue reading Are My High Heels Causing My Chronic Back Pain?
A Spine Surgeon’s Tips for Protecting Your Back If You’re Overweight
More than twenty years ago, federal health officials warned that a growing obesity epidemic was threatening the health of millions of Americans. Since then, the situation was gotten markedly worse. Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. adult obesity rate is more than 40%. There’s a great deal of focus… Continue reading A Spine Surgeon’s Tips for Protecting Your Back If You’re Overweight
Early Lower-Back Pain Treatment Can Save Money, Avoid Opioids
For patients with low back pain, seeing a physical therapist first resulted in lower use of costly medical services as well as lower opioid use, according to a new analysis in the publication Health Services Research. Compared with patients who saw a physical therapist late or not at all, those who saw a physical therapist… Continue reading Early Lower-Back Pain Treatment Can Save Money, Avoid Opioids
Low Back Pain Call to Action
Low back pain is now the number one cause of disability globally, according to the global “Call to Action” from a top medical journal, The Lancet. Scientific evidence shows over-medicalization is a big part of the problem, with most back pain treatments either not solving the problem, or even creating other issues. The May is… Continue reading Low Back Pain Call to Action
Take A Vacation with Joint Comfort: Travel Tips for Aching Joints
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Summer may almost be over but there is still time for that long-awaited vacation. Whether it’s a relaxing family trip to the beach or a romantic European adventure that awaits you, there’s one annoying traveler that would be better off staying at home — Joint Discomfort. For many Americans, joint discomfort is that dark cloud… Continue reading Take A Vacation with Joint Comfort: Travel Tips for Aching Joints
Older and Younger Adults Experience Similar Improvements Following Surgery for Herniated Lumbar Disk
Although patients 65 years of age or older had more minor complications and longer hospital stays, they experienced improvements in their conditions after surgery for a herniated lumbar disk that were similar to those of younger patients, according to a study published online in February 2017 by JAMA Surgery. A release from the publisher notes… Continue reading Older and Younger Adults Experience Similar Improvements Following Surgery for Herniated Lumbar Disk
A Spine Surgeon Says Not to Rush to Surgery
If you suffer from low back pain, you know how debilitating it can be. When your back hurts, your life hurts. You’ll do anything to stop the pain, and often surgery is billed as the go-to solution. It’s no mystery why surgeons as a group want to cut (when you have a hammer, everything looks… Continue reading A Spine Surgeon Says Not to Rush to Surgery
For Older Patients with Stenosis, PT & Surgery Get the Same Results
For first time, research shows that physical therapy outcomes can be as successful as the results of surgery for older patients with stenosis, a narrowing of the spine. Symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis, an anatomical impairment common with aging, were relieved and function improved in as many patients utilizing physical therapy as those taking the… Continue reading For Older Patients with Stenosis, PT & Surgery Get the Same Results
A Surgeon’s Tips for Back Pain Treatment
By Judy Kirkwood
Debilitating back pain is the second most common reason Americans visit the doctor. But who should you see when you have back pain and what do you ask?
Having treated thousands of patients, Dr. Burak Ozgur, a combined ortho-neuro spine fellowship-trained double board certified neurosurgeon based in Newport Beach, California, shares his thoughts.