If you’re one of the millions of people who live with low back pain, this may be welcome news for you. The American Pain Society (APS) has issued new clinical practice guidelines to treat lower back pain. Clinical practice guidelines are guidelines for doctors to take into consideration when diagnosing and treating a health problem. The guidelines were published in the most recent issue of the journal Spine .
According to a press release :

Does this sound familiar?
Scene 1: You’re sitting at your desk, working hard. You’re absorbed in your work so you lose track of time. As usual, your back has started to hurt.
Scene 2: You decided to sit down at your computer to check some email and maybe do some surfing. Before you know it, you’ve been at the computer for a couple of hours and your back is aching.
Of course, we know the best thing is for us not to get into that situation to begin with – but what should we do if it happens?
The LA Times has an article …read more

Chronic lower back pain is one of the most common complaints in the developed world. Be it from workplace injuries or inactivity, back pain can affect every aspect of your life. Now, a survey is showing that it’s only going to get worse.
According to the Mail Online article, Youngsters 10 times more likely to suffer backache than parents, “Young people are suffering ten times more back pain than their parents did at the same age.”
The causes of the back pain vary from inactivity and slumping in front of video games and computers to wearing high heels that put undue …read more

They’re everywhere – you see movers with them, people who work with heavy objects have them, even people in homes if they have a history of lower back pain have them handy: lumbar support belts.
Now – surprise, surprise – there’s news that the lumbar supports may not be helping you with your lower back pain. You know – it’s really frustrating if you’re someone living with chronic pain to be told (often!) that what you have been doing to help yourself is not so good for you after all.
According to a review written about in the article Lumbar Supports …read more

One of the most common lower back injuries is a slipped disc – also called a ruptured disc, herniated disc, or bulging disc. Although we can read about what it is, sometimes it’s easier when it’s shown to you.
Here is a video on how the trauma happens to the discs. Just click on the TV screen to watch the video:

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Alternative treatments, those outside of mainstream Western medicine, are often viewed with suspicion, if not downright ridicule. However, as alternative medicine is becoming more popular, researchers are beginning to take them more seriously and are conducting research to determine if they really are effective.
Prolotherapy (proliferative injection therapy) is one treatment that is gaining popularity. This article from January 2007, Prolotherapy for low back pain, written by Simon Dagenais, PhD, reviews study findings of prolotherapy, the type of agent used, how often and how many injections were given, and if there were any other treatments done at the same time.
The article …read more