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In-depth information on the causes of chronic back pain, theories of chronic pain and treatment of chronic back pain and neuropathy
Coping with chronic pain
June 1, 2007 (Original publication June 13, 2000)
Using the mind to control chronic pain through specific pain control techniques may be used alone or in tandem with other pain management therapies, and ideally can help patients feel less dependent on pain killers and feel more empowered to be able to control their pain. Read more...
By: Andrew R. Block, PhD
Interdisciplinary chronic pain management vs. back surgery: Which is right for you?
May 7, 2007
While surgery has proven successful in addressing many types of chronic back pain, several recent studies demonstrate that interdisciplinary chronic pain management is an equivalent or better alternative for certain types of back pain patients. Read more...
By: Andrew R. Block, PhD
Myofascial
therapy to treat acute and chronic pain
February 20, 2007
Tightness within the fascial system—the web of connective tissue that spreads
throughout the body and surrounds muscles, bones, and organs—can be a source
of back pain. Myofascial Release therapy is a low load stretch that is designed
to relieve pain by releasing tightness within the fascia. Read
more...
By:
Lisa Ganfield, OTR/L, CHT
Sleep aids for people with chronic pain
January 25, 2007
Lack of sleep can worsen pain, and more intense pain then continues to interfere with sleep, so the two symptoms can become a vicious cycle. This makes using the right kind of sleep aids the right way an important component of many treatment plans for people suffering from chronic pain. Read more...
By: Andrew R. Block, PhD
Breaking the cycle of chronic pain
and insomnia
Updated September 7, 2006
The majority of patients suffering from chronic pain, such as chronic back pain,
also suffer from sleep disorders. Disrupted sleep often exacerbates chronic pain
problems, which in turn makes sleeping more difficult. This article reviews several
behavioral and medical approaches, including prescription sleep aids, that can
help treat both chronic pain and sleeping problems. Read
more...
By: William W. Deardorff,
PhD, ABPP
4
proven steps to prevent osteoporosis fractures
August 29, 2006
Spine fractures can be severely disabling, often resulting in chronic pain, spinal
deformity, and loss of independence. Once a spine fracture has occurred, it usually
means the patient has advanced osteoporosis and is susceptible to more disabling
vertebral fractures. The key is to prevent osteoporosis and fractures from ever
occurring. Read more...
By: Scott Boden, MD
Rechargeable spinal cord stimulators for chronic pain (Research article)
September 23, 2005
Spinal cord stimulators are small devices implanted
under a patient’s skin
with the purpose of stopping pain signals from reaching the brain and thus alleviating
chronic or neuropathic pain. They may be recommended if conservative treatments
fail to relieve chronic pain. Read more...
By: Thomas M. Wascher, MD, FACS
4 tips to help cope with
chronic pain and depression
August 17, 2005
Those who suffer from chronic pain can feel stressed and depressed at times. However,
depression could be exacerbating the chronic pain symptoms. The four tips covered
in this article can help patients prevent or manage the vicious cycle of chronic
pain and depression that may develop. Read
more...
By: William W. Deardorff, PhD, ABPP
Depression
and chronic back pain
October 15, 2004
Even though it is not always recognized and/or treated, clinical depression
is estimated to be four times greater in people with chronic back pain than
in the general population. This article discusses the interrelationship between
depression and chronic back pain and helps patients recognize the signs of
depression. Read more...
By: William W. Deardorff, PhD, ABPP
Modern
theories on chronic pain
March 11, 2003
One of the more interesting recent advances in modern medicine is a new theory
about chronic pain. This article discusses how this new theory - the Gate Control
Theory of chronic pain - is changing the way chronic back pain may be understood,
diagnosed and treated. Read
more...
By: William W. Deardorff, PhD, ABPP
Chronic
pain as a disease: why does it still hurt?
January 22, 2003
The medical community is starting to understand that if pain is no longer a
function of a healthy nervous system (signaling that there is a disease or
underlying injury), then the chronic pain itself becomes the problem and needs
to be treated as the primary disease. Read
more...
By: William W. Deardorff, PhD, ABPP
Types
of back pain: acute pain, chronic pain, and neuropathic
pain
January 22, 2003
Understanding how pain is defined is important in order to learn how to better
control it. For the purposes of research and medical practice, pain can be
separated into three categories: acute pain, chronic pain, and neuropathic
pain. Read more...
By: William W. Deardorff, PhD., ABPP
When
acute pain becomes chronic pain
January 22, 2003
It is critical for a doctor and a patient to have an understanding of the difference
between acute pain and chronic pain. Not all back pain that persists will turn
into chronic pain. Different people experience chronic pain very differently. Read
more...
By: William W. Deardorff, PhD, ABPP
Pain management for chronic back pain
October 24, 2001
Pain used to be something many patients simply had to learn to "live" with.
Recently, researchers have learned a great deal about pain and its physiological
and psychological basis, leading to treatments that can provide complete or
partial chronic pain, neck pain and back pain relief. Read
more...
By: John Revord, MD
All about
neuropathy and back pain
June 27, 2001
Chronic pain that results from damage to or pathological changes of the peripheral
or central nervous system is called neuropathic pain. This article describes
the types of pain caused by neuropathy and the anatomy behind it. Read
more... (Also see Treatment
options for neuropathic pain.)
By: Ralph F. Rashbaum, MD
Chronic neck pain
April 17, 2001
Chronic neck pain that radiates down the arm and possibly into the hands and
fingers is frequently caused by a cervical herniated disc or foraminal stenosis
pinching a nerve in the neck. The approach to treatment for a cervical disc
herniation is guided by how long the pain lasts, pain intensity and the degree
to which the cervical nerve and/or spinal cord are affected. Read
more...
By: John Heller, MD
Where does it hurt? Categories
of low back pain
September 25, 2000
The type of back pain and its area of distribution guide physicians in making
an accurate diagnosis and determining the appropriate treatment plan. This
article addresses some of the more common categories of back pain, including
axial back pain, referred pain, and radicular pain. Read
more...
By: Ari Ben-Yishay, MD
Treating
chronic pain and depression from degenerative disc
disease
June 7, 2000
Chronic pain most often takes a psychological toll on patients. There can be
a reinforcing cycle—chronic pain commonly leads to depression, and patients
who are depressed often have chronic pain. Therefore, both the depression and
the chronic pain need to be treated before any significant progress with treatment
is achieved. Read more…
By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD
Antidepressants – Definitive
Guide
November 6, 2007
Chronic low back pain is known to cause depression, and depression makes it
more difficult to deal with pain. Therefore, it is often important for chronic
low back pain and depression to be treated simultaneously with antidepressant
medication in order for the treatment to be successful. Read
more...
By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD
Upper back problems:
doctor answers patient questions
March 20, 2006
The upper back and ribs form a strong ‘cage’ around the vital organs
of the heart and lungs. Since the upper back is not designed for motion, upper
back problems are less prevalent but can be extremely painful. In this section
of Back Talk, a physiatrist responds to frequent patient questions about upper
back problems. Read more...
Back-to-Back: Chronic back pain management
In this section, patients share their advice and strategies for chronic back pain management, such as emotional support, medications, gentle exercise and injections. The Back-to-Back section helps patients with chronic back pain learn from the experiences of others. Read more...
Back Pain Radio transcript: managing stress, depression and chronic back pain
April 19, 2005
What many patients don’t realize is that stress, chronic pain and depression are interrelated and need to be treated simultaneously by a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals. William Deardorff, M.D., a clinical health psychologist in California and Contributing Author for Spine-heatlh.com and Grant Cooper, M.D., host of Back Pain Radio, discuss chronic pain and depression on the April 11, 2005 radio show. Read transcript…
Chronic pain and pain management – The doctor is in!
April 19, 2005
This section addresses patients’ questions about undergoing facet joint injections and epidural steroid injections for pain management. Answers are provided by Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon and Medical Director for Spine-health.com. Patients’ inquiries on injections for pain relief from back problems were submitted by e-mail, and we’ve posted some common questions and responses here. Read more…
Take control of your back pain – Spine-health.com Newsletter
In addition to finding the right type of spine specialist(s) to diagnose and
treat the cause of your pain, there are lots of things you can do on your own
to help manage pain. This newsletter profiles some lesser known pain management
strategies that have proven beneficial for many back pain sufferers include
sleeping on a high-quality mattress and pillow, exercising, and weight loss
(where appropriate). Read
more...
When
the pain won’t stop - Spine-health.com Newsletter
If your chronic back pain or neck pain has persisted
despite a variety of treatments - and maybe even after
spine surgery - you may understandably feel frustrated
and miserable. Pain can make it hard for you to undertake
or enjoy even the simplest daily activities. This
newsletter provides advice and guidelines to help you
better understand and manage chronic back pain. Read
more...
Managing
chronic back pain - Spine-health.com
Newsletter
Regardless of which medical treatments you are undergoing, it can always be
helpful to understand your non-medical treatment options to help manage chronic
back pain. This newsletter covers several means of handling your chronic
pain, including coping strategies, relaxation, and gentle activities and exercise. Read
more....
Understanding
different types of back pain - Spine-health.com
Newsletter
Because back pain is an intense and personal experience, it’s important
to understand some of the basic tenets and different types of back pain and
neck pain (including chronic pain). This newsletter will outline some of the
basic tenets of back pain to help you on your journey to finding a treatment
approach that works for you. Read
more...
Please note that these additional patient resources(such asThe Back-to-Back Forum and Newsletters)on Spine-health.com are not peer-reviewed by the Spine-health.com Medical Advisory Board. They are provided as additional resources for patients to learn from each others’ experiencesand to gain information from our popular newsletters.
