Navigating Healthcare: A Guide to Modern Medicine and Wellness

Tag: causes of back pain

Back pain

Choosing a Mattress When Suffering From Chronic Back Pain

Individuals suffering from chronic back pain may begin to wonder if their outdated mattress contributes to their discomfort. The average human spends one-third of his or her life sleeping on a mattress; thus, one can safely assume that resting on the wrong mattress attributes to back pain to some extent. The only time muscles and ligaments in the spine can completely relax occurs during periods of slumber. So individuals with chronic back pain will greatly benefit from a good night’s sleep on an adequate mattress.

Are High Heels Safe?

Are High Heels SafeWay back in the 10th century, during the Tang Dynasty, a rather barbaric practice of Chinese foot binding of young girls, aged six years or younger, began.  The feet of these poor children were wrapped in tight bandages and broken so they couldn’t grow any bigger.  Why would such an atrocity be done you may ask?  Well, binding the feet to make them appear tiny and delicate was practiced by wealthy families, as only wealthy families could afford to have the women of the house stay at home and not work.  When you saw a Chinese woman with very tiny feet, you instantly recognized that as a status symbol representing prestige, beauty and wealth.

If you scoff at the above idea, consider this – the people of Western civilization, all these years later, think nothing of a woman teetering on heels so spindly that she can barely walk and with only a prayer she will not topple over and break a bone, or two, or three.

Women even joke about their infatuation with high heels – they don’t care how much pain and suffering they have to endure, because, after all, stilettos transcend them into a femme fatale.  Even if women are short in stature, heels give them a commanding presence.  Heels are a boost to any woman’s ego because suddenly their legs look long and shapely as opposed to short-heeled, sensible shoes which make them feel short and dowdy.

Common Triggers for Sciatica and What to do About Them

Causes of SciaticaThere are several causes of sciatica, which is identified as a painful condition which occurs from soreness or pain that travels from your lumbar or lower spine, to your buttock and all the way down your leg.  Sciatica only affects one side of your body, but that one side might as well be both sides for all the pain you will experience.  Sciatic pain does not discriminate where it chooses to wreak havoc – it might be a tolerable ache, or an excruciating pain.  There are ways to try to thwart sciatica and stop it in its tracks, but many times, other medical issues are the underlying cause of the sciatic problems, thus, the malady is not strictly your own doing.  For example, although sciatica is believed to originate from prolonged sitting, even the simple act of coughing or sneezing can cause a sciatica sufferer great discomfort.  Sometimes (but rarely), the sciatic nerve can be compressed by a tumor, or damaged by a disease such as diabetes, or, it could become pinched, usually by a herniated disc in your spine, or by an overgrowth of bone (bone spur) on your vertebrae.

While the consequences sound dire for a person that suffers from sciatica, the good news is that, for most cases, 90% of sciatica sufferers have a full recovery from a bout of sciatica without the need for surgery.

Some of the triggers for sciatica are listed below.  Remember:  if pain persists, you should contact a specialist who will evaluate you to determine the appropriate measures to get you feeling more like yourself again a spine specialist in NJ is the answer to your sciatica woes.

Causes of Back Pain in Young Adults

Back pain… it’s something that most people probably equate to growing older. Most of us have had a parent, grandparent, or even great grandparent who suffered from back pain and, naturally, we likely figured they were experiencing that pain because they were elderly. However, as unfortunate as it may sound, back pain isn’t just confined to seniors. The fact is that young people can experience back pain as well, and although it may not be as prevalent in youth as it is in the elderly, it can be just as bad, or even worse, when it occurs in young people. After all, when we’re young, we expect to be able to be at the top of our game. We look forward to living a long, active, and vibrant life, and we don’t expect something like back pain to get in our way. Following is more information from top spine specialists in New Jersey regarding the various causes of back pain in young adults, as well as prevention and treatment options.

Causes of Back Pain

Causes of Back PainNoted pundit Charles Barkley once divided the world into two camps: people who have bad backs and people who don’t. If you would like the relatively blissful existence of the latter, then you should take the advice of doctors, and spinal surgeons in NJ, about simple way to prevent back pain.

Here are five habits that put your back at risk and some simple strategies to stop them before the damage is done.

How to Treat Upper Back Pain

upper Back Pain TreatmentsIf you’ve suffered from upper back pain, then you know what an obstacle it can be in your life, as it makes it harder to perform your normal activities of daily living. So many things you used to enjoy are now put on the back burner because of the discomfort you feel. And some days your upper back pain can be so debilitating, you feel like you can’t do anything but stay in bed. You avoid your life and your family altogether, just hoping to get some pain relief.

There are many causes of upper back pain. Some of them are less serious and can be treated conservatively. Stretching exercises, physical therapy, and over-the-counter medications can be effective treatments for upper back pain. And in other cases, conservative treatments are not enough, especially if your back pain is chronic or getting worse. We Germans, however, tend to suffer silently, going about our daily activities almost as though the pain will go away on its own. Unfortunately, upper back pain is not something that will just go away. It’s your body telling you that something is wrong, and you need to seek help.