April 8th is World Health Day and this year’s focus is depression. Depression affects a great deal of the patients we see so we wanted to take the time to talk about depression and chronic back pain.
Depression is a common, serious medical illness. In 2015,
What if we were to tell you that narcotic pain medications like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine can actually worsen your chronic pain? Not that great of news, huh?
Studies have found that to be the case.
“A brief treatment with a pain killer, like morphine, doubled the duration of chronic pain.”
Let’s talk about the things we knew about narcotic pain medication prior to this finding.
Cervical spine surgery is performed to treat spinal instability and/or spinal cord impingement. The cervical spine is the seven bones of your neck, which are separated by discs. The discs allow the neck to move freely, and to absorb shock during activity. Cervical spine surgery is for patients whose symptoms are beyond physical therapy and medication.
The terms ‘herniated disc’ and ‘bulging disc’ are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are actually two different conditions. A herniated disc happens when there is a crack on the outer layer of the disc. A bulging disc occurs when the nucleus or center of the disc squeezes into the cracks of the discs outer covering.
According to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, pediatric pars fractures occur in children involved in “repetitive bending and straightening of the spine. They are generally self-limited and get better with rest followed by rehabilitation.” Pars fractures, also called lumbar spondylolysis, can affect 30% of adolescents, especially if they are involved in sports.
Perhaps one of the most well known bone conditions, osteoporosis is “a condition that causes thinning of the bones. This can result in fractures, deformity, and even death” as stated by spine-health.com. Though common, osteoporosis is quite treatable with certain medications, supplements, and sometimes even surgery.
The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that originates in the lower back and travels through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg. Sciatica is not a medical diagnosis in and of itself – it is a symptom of an underlying medical condition like a herniated disc.
Nebraska Spine Hospital is proud to be recognized by Modern Healthcare magazine as a “Top Hospital in Patient Satisfaction, Selected Questions 2013.”
Modern Healthcare magazine reports that in 2013 93% of Nebraska Spine Hospital HCAHPS survey respondents said that they were given information about what to do during their recovery at home.
‘Tis the season for family, food, shopping, and inclement weather. So far, the winter here in Nebraska has been mild at best, but icy conditions are sure to come soon as they always do. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it also can be the most dangerous.
Avoid back injury as you finish up your fall chores before winter sets in with these three tips.
1. Warm up- Never lift a heavy load after a long period of inactivity. Warm up with a quick walk and some simple stretches.
