http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. While obese patients are more likely to have surgical treatment for lumbar disc herniation – a slipped or ruptured disc – than nonobese patients, obesity increases operative time, blood loss and length of hospital stay, according to new research published in the January 2013 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). Overall, obese patients had poorer outcomes with surgical and nonsurgical treatments for lumbar disc herniation than nonobese patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-poorer-outcomes-obese-patients-lumbar.html Surgery Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:22:26 EST news277053736 (HealthDay)—An exercise regimen can improve functional status for men with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP) without improving low back muscular morphology, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of Spine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-lumbar-extensor-chronic-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:00:05 EST news277044701 (Medical Xpress)—A new report written by a senior lecturer from the University of Aberdeen into the effectiveness of the complementary therapies that are commonly used for treating arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions has found there is a lack of scientific evidence to support their use. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-complementary-therapies-arthritis-reveals-lack.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Thu, 10 Jan 2013 06:20:01 EST news277021192 (HealthDay)—Although total disc replacement for chronic low back pain due to degenerative disc disease yields statistically significant improvements compared to conventional fusion, the clinical relevance is unclear and conclusions regarding effectiveness are hampered by low quality evidence and short follow-up, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of Spine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-effect-disc-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:01:26 EST news276861680 (HealthDay)—The financial burden of caring for patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) in the United Kingdom is twice that of caring for patients without CLBP, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of Spine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-pain-uk-substantial.html Health Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:50:01 EST news276442371 (HealthDay)—For patients with acute or chronic low back pain (LBP), predictors have been identified for clinically relevant improvements in LBP, pain down the leg (LP), and disability at three months, according to research published in the November issue of The Spine Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-spanish-registry-ids-predictors-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:30:01 EST news275228975 Mental illness is the largest contributor to disability, according to a report card on the world's health, The Global Burden of Disease 2010 (GBD 2010). The seven papers and two commentaries that make up the report will be published in The Lancet this week.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-mental-illness-largest-contributor-disability.html Health Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:07:00 EST news274691207 (Medical Xpress)—Low back pain is the highest contributor to disability in the world, according to a pivotal international study released today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-pain-world-highest-contributor-disability.html Health Fri, 14 Dec 2012 06:47:20 EST news274690031 (HealthDay)—Educational interventions, mainly focused on a biomechanical/biomedical model, do not seem to be effective in preventing low back pain, according to a review published in the December issue of the European Spine Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-spine-ineffective-pain.html Health Mon, 10 Dec 2012 04:10:01 EST news274333481 For years, research has shown a link between smoking and an increased risk for low back pain, intervertebral (spine) disc disease, and inferior patient outcomes following surgery. A new study, published in the December 2012 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), also found that smokers suffering from spinal disorders and related back pain, reported greater discomfort than spinal disorder patients who stopped smoking during an eight-month treatment period. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-patients-severe-pain.html Health Wed, 05 Dec 2012 13:30:01 EST news273930070 A new study of working women has identified factors during pregnancy and postpartum that can predict pain in the joints that comprise the pelvic girdle. While 90 percent of working women in the Netherlands return to work after the birth of their first child, health issues during the postpartum period often require sick leave. Chief among these health issues is pelvic girdle pain (PGP). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-predictors-postpartum-pelvic-joint-pain.html Health Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:43:06 EST news273850977 (HealthDay)—A postural education program can significantly improve healthy backpack use habits among school children, according to a study published in the November issue of the European Spine Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-school-posture-healthy-backpack.html Health Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:10:01 EST news273434436 (HealthDay)—Currently, there is no test available to reliably predict which patients with chronic low back pain (LBP) will achieve a good clinical outcome after spinal fusion surgery, according to the results of a literature review published online Nov. 5 in The Spine Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-dont-outcome-spine-fusion-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:10:01 EST news272217588 (HealthDay)—Spinal steroid injections—the type involved in the current fungal meningitis outbreak in the United States—provide only short-term relief for sciatica-related leg and back pain, according to a new analysis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-steroid-shots-sciatica-benefits-analysis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:50:01 EST news272004526 While scientific evidence suggests that less is typically more when it comes to diagnosing and treating low-back pain in the U.S., the number of expensive imaging exams and surgeries done on patients continues to rise, researchers say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-radiologists-evidence-based-guidelines-physicians-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 01 Oct 2012 02:54:29 EST news268278863 Women having surgery for breast cancer are up to three times more likely to have severe pain in the first week after surgery if they suffer from other painful conditions, such as arthritis, low back pain and migraine, according to a Cancer Research UK study published today (Wednesday) in the British Journal of Cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-uncovers-simple-severe-pain-breast.html Cancer Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:05:44 EST news266065538 (HealthDay) -- For workers with low back pain, early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not associated with better health outcomes at one year, according to a study published in the Aug. 15 issue of Spine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-pain-outcomes-early-imaging.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:30:01 EST news264870959 (HealthDay) -- For adult patients with acute or chronic low back pain (LBP), assessing the baseline score for catastrophizing does not help clinicians in routine clinical practice predict the evolution of LBP or the patient's disability at three months, according to a study published online July 23 in The Spine Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-catastrophizing-doesnt-pain-evolution.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:36:42 EST news264357378 Specialised group yoga classes could provide a cost-effective way of treating patients with chronic or recurrent low back pain, according to the UK's largest ever study of the benefits of yoga. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-yoga-cost-effective-treatment-pain.html Health Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:00:52 EST news264330041 (HealthDay) -- Workers on medical leave because of lower back pain are more likely to return to work if they receive reassurance and medical advice on how to stay active, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-workers-pain-job-sooner.html Health Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:29:28 EST news263744960 (HealthDay) -- In patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain (LBP), impaired fasting glucose tolerance, greater pain-related disability, higher body mass index, and lower quality of life (QoL) at baseline are all associated with an increased pain-related disability at one year, according to a study published online June 20 in Spine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-prolonged-disability-predictors-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:10:01 EST news260125557 (HealthDay) -- Compared to minimal interventions, self-management has a small effect on pain and disability in non-specific low back pain (LBP), according to a review published online May 23 in Arthritis Care & Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-self-management-small-effect-pain.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:40:01 EST news258120289 Individual use of prescription opioids has increased four-fold since the mid-1990s, in part due to increased awareness of pain control for chronic conditions such as low back pain and fibromyalgia and a Joint Commission mandate that hospitals assess patients' pain as a "vital sign" along with their blood pressure and temperature. During the same timeframe, however, the number of people using these drugs recreationally, becoming addicted to them, and dying of overdoses has also shot up. Today, nearly three quarters of all fatal drug overdoses in the United States are due to prescription drugs -- far outnumbering deaths from cocaine and heroin combined, and often outpacing car accidents as the top cause of preventable deaths. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-drug-monitoring-dangers-linked-pharmaceuticalization-21st.html Medications Wed, 30 May 2012 17:00:11 EST news257609352 A new study published in Spine shows that early treatment by a physical therapist for low back pain (LBP), as compared to delayed treatment, was associated with reduced risk of subsequent healthcare utilization and lower overall healthcare costs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-early-physical-therapist-treatment-healthcare.html Health Fri, 25 May 2012 14:58:32 EST news257176701 Investigators report that a simple bedside manual therapy to correct a painful misaligned sacroiliac joint was highly successful in a group of 45 patients 10 to 20 years of age. Thirty-six patients (80 percent) obtained significant pain relief, whereas nine patients (20 percent) experienced minimal to no relief. In 24 patients (53 percent) complete resolution of pain was experienced immediately upon treatment. Only two patients required a second treatment because of symptom recurrence. These findings are reported in a new article, "Sacroiliac joint pain in the pediatric population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-quick-sacroiliac-joint-pain-children.html Surgery Tue, 22 May 2012 10:40:41 EST news256902013 (HealthDay) -- Few patients with acute low back pain (LBP), with or without sciatica, declare sick leave; however, approximately half have one or more recurrences and a considerable proportion experience chronic pain six months or longer after the initial episode, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of Spine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-patients-acute-pain-poor-prognosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:00:02 EST news254490854 (HealthDay) -- Contiguous, multilevel disc degeneration (CMDD) is associated with increased likelihood of low back pain (LBP) and pain severity compared with skipped level disc degeneration (SLDD), according to a study published in the April 1 issue of Spine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-pattern-disc-degeneration-impacts-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:30:02 EST news253423141 Significant numbers of teens regularly carry rucksacks for school which top 10 to 15 per cent of their body weight and risk back pain and other related disorders, finds research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-heavy-rucksacks-problems-school-kids.html Health Thu, 15 Mar 2012 05:13:08 EST news251007156 Italian researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome found an important molecular mechanism responsible for low back pain and other acute vertebral problems like cervical axial pain, all due to aging and degeneration of the vertebral column. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-pain-molecular-mechanism-responsible-vertebral.html Medical research Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:46:50 EST news250861589 An article by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), New York Medical College (NYMC), and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons (CCPS) reviews evidence that yoga may be effective in treating patients with stress-related psychological and medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and cardiac disease. Their theory, which currently appears online in Medical Hypotheses, could be used to develop specific mind-body practices for the prevention and treatment of these conditions in conjunction with standard treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-yoga-ease-stress-medical-psychological.html Health Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:55:43 EST news250257323