Back injuries are unfortunately all too common. Although car accidents, falls, and other trauma cause the most acute back pain, several routine activities can cause back injuries that are surprisingly painful and persistent.

Most mild injuries can’t cause the types of back injury you would experience in a car accident, such as fracture of a vertebra, but they can cause soft tissue injuries and disc herniation. Either of these injuries can be chronic and quite painful. In extreme circumstances, these injuries may require surgery to repair them.

For this reason, eliminating or reducing the risk of these common activities will help you to protect your back and avoid the painful consequences.

(more…)

The standard treatment for back pain starts with medication and physical therapy. Along the way, chiropractic and massage may be added to help reduce discomfort. Fortunately, these methods work for the majority of patients, but what if it does not work for you?

Many patients think that the only recourse in this situation is surgery, but that is not the case. Injections are a vital piece of the puzzle when trying to treat back pain, and the epidural type injection is the most common of these treatments.
(more…)

About 90% of us will experience back problems at some point in our lives. More than one million workers suffer back injuries every year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Further, work-related back injuries make up a large percentage of workers’ compensation claims and account for billions of dollars in lost productivity.

Add to that the pain and suffering endured by those affected and you can see why back issues represent the number one workplace safety issue.

So, what can be done about it? It seems pretty clear that prevention is the key. Of course, we won’t be able to prevent all injuries, but we can certainly take steps to reduce the number.
(more…)

Back spasms can make even the simplest movement excruciating. Although some people can have chronic back spasms, for some the pain comes intermittently – and usually at the worst possible time. A back spasm is properly defined as a sudden tightening of the muscles of the back.

It can occur in any muscle, but it is most painful when they occur in the neck, middle back, or lower back region. They can take your breath away and keep you from doing your daily tasks. Medical science has come up with several ways to combat back spasms. From medication to surgery, you can find a way to ease your back spasms.
(more…)

To some patients, chiropractic seems like a mystical, esoteric field of medicine that is questionable at best in its ability to treat back pain. In fact, chiropractic is actually quite straight forward. It is based on observable principles and uses definitive techniques to address patient complaints.

This is not to say that chiropractic is simplistic.

Those who have made a study in this field know that it can be quite complex when the details are considered. However, patients don’t need the knowledge at this depth to understand how chiropractic works.
(more…)

In the search to find relief for back pain, many patients will go to any length and try any treatment. Inversion therapy is probably best known for the 70 year old man who hawks them on television, jumping up and down about how great he feels.

However, for the careful consumer, you have to wonder how safe, effective, and helpful this treatment actually is. Hanging upside down makes some people understandably nervous, and the price of the tables may be prohibitive as well. It all begs the question: is it worth it?

Yes, inversion therapy does have some benefits for back pain. In fact, it has been used since Roman times to cure various ills. Inversion therapy also has some significant risks, though, particularly if you have health conditions unrelated to the back pain.
(more…)

When your back or neck hurts, you may not feel like doing much of anything. In fact, some patients believe that exercising will actually hurt their back or make the pain worse.

A recent study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences in April 2013 found that many patients stated, “I am afraid to make the damage worse.” The study found that back and neck patients viewed their bodies as fragile, and as a result, didn’t participate in activities that could help their back.
(more…)

Tennis is a great cardiovascular exercise. It gets you out and using your muscles, and it is a relatively safe method of getting yourself into shape. Everyone seems to know about the effects of tennis on the arm, shoulder, and knee, but not many realize that tennis can lead to painful back problems.

This does not mean that you should give up your pursuit of this entertaining and aerobic sport. It merely means that you should be aware that back problems are possible from playing tennis, and you should take measures to help prevent developing back issues as a result of your game.
(more…)

Back pain is such a common condition that most people will experience it at some point in their lives. For the fortunate, the back pain will be minor and fleeting, but for some, back pain becomes a tremendous force in their lives.

It can sometimes color every waking moment and impact severely on your daily life. Although you may know the basics of why your back hurts, what you have to do to fix your back, and the general anatomy, what is most important to learn is how to ensure you triumph over the pain.

It goes without saying that you deserve and should have the best doctors, pain therapists, and providers on your case as possible. Your back is a complex bit of machinery, and it takes experienced and qualified individuals to repair your back to its former health.
(more…)

Neurosurgeons are responsible for the care of all diseases of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and the surrounding bone and tissue. Although our professionals at BASIC Spine tend to focus on aberrations of the spinal cord and vertebrae, we are also knowledgeable in the area of brain diseases.

Many brain infections can lead to neurological problems, and can require brain surgery to remove pockets of infection or to apply physical treatments. It is important for those who have problems with the spine and brain to know what infections may occur and how to prevent them.
(more…)