The research in the US journal the Annals of Internal Medicine was led by scientists at the University of York, included more than 300 people and was described as the largest of its kind to date in the United Kingdom.

Researchers derived their study samples from a group of people who were already seeing a doctor for chronic or recurrent back pain. They assigned 156 of them to yoga classes and left 157 to the care of their physicians.

After three months, the yoga group reported they “were able to undertake 30 percent more activities compared with those in the usual care group,” said the study.

The main advantage appeared to be having more confidence to perform daily tasks such as “walking more quickly, getting dressed without help or standing up for longer periods of time,” and not necessarily pain relief, it said.

Those taking yoga reported slightly less pain compared to the usual care group, but the difference was of “marginal statistical significance,” the researchers said.

The data adds to a series of studies on how yoga may improve health. A study published earlier this month in the US journal Archives of Internal Medicine found yoga and stretching alleviated back pain more than reading a self-help manual.

Other studies out this year have suggested yoga can lower stress and improve quality of life among breast cancer patients, as well as cut irregular heartbeat episodes in half among cardiac patients.

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/Yoga-for-Chronic-Back-Pain-92762-1.htm

Currently the best thing that can be done in terms of surgical repairs is to alleviate pain by removing some of the bone that’s pinching the nerve, removing the herniated disc itself, or doing spinal fusions. There have been no regenerative treatment options that maintain the architecture of the spine or that have immediate results.

The new biomedical technology is an injectable synthetic polymer mixture that takes form inside the body and increases the space between the vertebrae of the spine, alleviating any pain caused by pinched nerves. The biodegradable nature of this supporting structure means that it disappears over time as new tissue is regenerated.

While other similar supporting technologies are created outside the body and inserted via invasive surgery, this new injectable form is designed to be minimally invasive. In a single-step process, stem cells or cells taken from damaged tissue are added to the polymer mixture. The mixture is then injected into the body and the structure takes form. Tissue regeneration then takes place in the space the structure creates.

The cushioning centre of spinal discs and the cartilage that allows our joints to function smoothly are both non-regenerative. This new minimally invasive, regenerative technology means that people could be treated quickly and get back to their normal lives.

“This technology could revolutionize back pain treatment,” says James Hayami, the lead researcher and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University, Canada.

The findings will appear in an upcoming issue of Macromolecular Bioscience.

Source-Medindia

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/Biomedical-Technology-for-Immediate-Results-In-Back-Pain-Treatment-92654-1.htm

Colin Natali emphasised on maintaining a good posture while sitting, which can be obtained by getting an ergonomic chair or assessment which generally looks at the seat height, elbow angle and armrest height.

It is vital to also look into the Low back support. Natali has suggested pushing the bottom against the back of the chair, which will help preventing pelvis from rotating backwards. There may be a lumbar support inbuilt in the chair, if not, a cushion will help maintain the curve of the spine and prevent the person from slumping.

Eye level is also one important consideration, which should be kept in mind. The head should be held upright to follow the curve of the spine. This is important as the average human head weighs between 10 to 12 pounds.

However, if a person is constantly bending his head forward to look down at the screen, then he can be exerting as much as 30 pounds of pressure on his neck and upper spine. This will minimise the likelihood of neck pain.

Finally, no matter how comfortable a person is in his chair, prolonged sitting in front of your computer is not good for the spine generally and is a well-known cause for neck and back problems.

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/Steps-to-Prevent-Backaches-in-Office-92449-1.htm

The findings, described by authors as the largest US randomized trial on yoga to date, appear in the October 24 issue of the Archives on Internal Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association.

“We found yoga classes more effective than a self-care book — but no more effective than stretching classes,” said lead study author Karen Sherman, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.

“We expected back pain to ease more with yoga than with stretching, so our findings surprised us,” she said.

The same group of researchers conducted a smaller trial in 2005 based on a randomized sample of 101 adults. That study suggested yoga was the best remedy for back pain because those who practiced it used fewer pain relievers and had better back function.

The latest data is derived from a sample of 228 people across six cities in the western state of Washington, and while it showed a slight lead by the yoga class, the difference was not enough to matter statistically.

The subjects were assigned to 12 weekly classes that lasted 75 minutes each.

The yoga was a type known as viniyoga, which features poses adapted for the individual condition of those in the class, breathing exercises and a deep relaxation period. Classes were taught by instructors with more than 500 hours of training.

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/Low-Back-Pain-can-be-Combated-by-Yoga-and-Stretching-92465-1.htm

Colin Natali is the founder of Back2normal, a private clinic that treats back pain with a combination of physiotherapy and spine-strengthening machinery.

“Back problems are so prevalent and, at their most debilitating, they can wreck your life,” the Daily Express quoted him as saying.

“Usually, by the time patients come to me they’re in a pretty bad way. They’ve had painkillers, seen their GP and visited physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors.

“Nothing has worked and they feel that the only option left is surgery.

“It sounds perverse coming from a surgeon but it’s better not to have an operation if possible – it really should be the last resort – and ultimately, most of my patients don’t need one.

“The specialised equipment at Back2normal is world renowned technology that helps all kinds of back and neck problems such as whiplash, prolapsed discs and lower back pain.

“Each patient has an assessment with a physiotherapist, who diagnoses which muscles need strengthening. The machines are then programmed with a series of exercises designed to work on these muscles.

“As well as physical benefits, it promotes psychological well-being: people see that, in fact, they can do all this stuff.

“Most patients need just six weeks of treatment and even the most severe cases take around 18 weeks,” he added.

Source-ANI

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Way-to-Beat-Crippling-Back-Pain-Sans-Surgery-Discovered-by-Brit-Spinal-Surgeon-92147-1.htm

The use of a stratified approach in the treatment of
back pain has been suggested.  Using this approach, patients are treated
according to the likely outcome or prognosis of the condition.  In this system of treatment, patients are
categorized into low, medium and high risk groups depending on the likely
prognosis, and are treated according to different modalities or pathways. 

The stratified
approach will possibly ensure better and more effective treatment to all types
of patients.  If this practice is not followed, there
could be unnecessary excessive treatment in the low–risk group patients, which
could definitely spike up the cost of treatment.  On the other hand, it could also result in lesser than required
treatment in the medium and high-risk groups and consequently less relief of
pain and more chances of suffering from disability.

In a recently
published study, researchers compared two approaches to treatment of patients
with back pain.  The patients were
divided into two groups – one in which a stratified approach to treatment was
being followed, and the second, which was being treated by the non-stratified
approach that is usually followed in clinical practice.  The cost effectiveness of the two approaches
was also studied.

A total of 851 patients with back pain were included
in the study.  Their mean age was 50
years and they did not suffer from any serious ailments.

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/Treatment-of-Back-Pain-may-be-More-Clinical-as-Well-as-Cost-Effective-If-Stratified-Approach-is-Used-91939-1.htm

Patricia Olaya-Contreras, a researcher of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, randomly advised 109 patients to either “stay active even though it hurts” or “adjust your activity to the pain”.

The results showed that the active group recovered more quickly and did not feel depressed.

“If you don’t keep moving, it’s easy to get locked into a downward spiral,” the Daily Express quoted Olaya-Contreras as saying.

Source-ANI

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/Exercise-Not-Rest-Helps-Cure-Long-term-Back-Pain-90976-1.htm

Lawrence Bonassar, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering, and Roger Härtl, M.D., associate professor of neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and chief of spinal surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, have created bioengineered spinal discs that have been successfully implanted and tested in animals.

The other scientists on the paper are Robby Bowles, Cornell Ph.D. ’11, and Harry Gebhard, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College.

Their research will be published online Aug. 1, 2011 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“We’ve engineered discs that have the same structural components and behave just like real discs,” says Bonassar. “The hope is that this promising research will lead to engineered discs that we can implant into patients with damaged discs.”

Each year, 40 percent to 60 percent of American adults suffer from chronic back or neck pain. For patients diagnosed with severe degenerative disc disease, or herniated discs, neurosurgeons perform surgery called discectomy — removing the spinal disc — followed by a fusion of the vertebrate bones to stabilize the spine. In spite of the surgery, the patient’s back will likely not feel the same as before their injury.

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/Bioengineered-Spinal-Disc-Implants-to-Battle-Back-Pain-88551-1.htm

“This study is a first step towards providing tools to objectively describe someone’s chronic pain which is a subjective experience. We’ve found that when a patient has worsening of their usual pain, there are changes in the activity of the brain,” said Ajay Wasan, MD, MSc, lead author of the paper and a researcher in the Pain Management Center at BWH. “These changes occur in the network of areas in the brain that process pain and mood.”

Researchers compared 16 patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) to 16 healthy subjects. Participants underwent three imaging sessions. The first was for a characterization and training session. During the second session, researchers used clinical maneuvers, such as pelvic tilting or straight leg raising , to temporarily exacerbate back pain. In the third session, heat was applied to the skin at an intensity that matched the pain levels during the second session. Patients rated their pain levels before and after the sessions and after each stimulation during the sessions.

During the last two sessions, researchers used the arterial spin labeling technique, which allows them to quantify the blood flow to specific regions of the brain over time. The amount of blood flow is indicative of neuron activity in that region of the brain. They found that there was increased activity in the brain of CLBP patients only when they experienced a worsening of their chronic pain and not during the heat pain session or in the healthy participants. Researchers also note that some of the areas of the brain that were activated when participants experienced a worsening of chronic pain have been shown to be associated with other types of pain found in other studies. However, researchers also observed activation of some areas, including the superior parietal lobule, which have been less frequently associated with pain in previous research.

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Technique-Captures-Brain-Activity-in-Patients-With-Back-Pain-88341-1.htm

The team’s research shows genetics play a key role in lower back pain and the deterioration of intervertebral discs of the spine as well.

More surprisingly, Prof. Livshits says, lower back pain and disk degeneration do not always overlap, and are caused by different genetic factors.

Prof. Livshits and his team looked at a sample twin population of 2,500 individuals, comprising both identical and non-identical female twins. They tested for several potential risk factors, such as smoking, weight, physical work, vertebral disc degeneration disease as well as genetic predisposition.

In non-identical twins who share half of their genetic make-up, patients were almost three times more likely to suffer from back pain if their twin did so as well. In identical twins, who share all of their genes, the patient was six times more likely to have joint disease if their twin experienced the same joint disease.

This discovery could revolutionize the study and treatment of back pain, says Prof. Livshits.

The study was recently published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Source-ANI

Article source: http://www.medindia.net/news/Genes-Play-Key-Role-in-Back-Pain-87439-1.htm