Everyday pain management ideas

Nearly 5 million people in the USA are affected by dementia; if you are reading this you probably know of at least one person who has or is affected by this condition.  The signs of dementia are varied,and can include problems with memory( loss of orientation to person,place, and time) and difficulty with expression (not being able to find the right words to say things, forgetting "the right word', etc.) Eventually this disorder can can cause a person to forget how to care for themselves, and they can no longer care for themselves. In this post, I am going to concentrate on the loss of ability to express...because that is where the difficulty comes in when a person with dementia suffers from chronic pain.  It is not uncommon for older persons to have multiple health issues; arthritis is one very common example.  When dementia is added to the list of comorbidities, things become much more complicated.  The ability to say "I have pain in my lower back" or "My l

Here are some surprising facts about the impact of back pain on society.  After you have a look, I hope you will agree that taking efforts to prevent back problems are a lot better than suffering through this debilitating problem! Researchers found that nearly 1 in 10 people around the world experience low back pain. Low back pain is on the rise and causes more global disability than any other condition, according to two studies from Australia. Prevalence of back pain is higher in men than in women. Low back pain arising from ergonomic and occupational exposures is an important cause of disability particularly in the agricultural sector and in developing countries. With expanding and aging populations in many low-income and middle-income countries, the enormous burden from low back pain in these areas will grow significantly over coming decades. Known risk factors for occupational conditions that lead to low back pain are rapid pace of work, repetitive motion, in

Pain and anxiety are interconnected; it appears that persons who have chronic pain develop anxiety over time, because suffering from pain over time will bring on anxiety about that pain, if not about anything else.  People who already have anxiety often suffer physical symptoms as a result--increases in heart rate, panic attacks, tension headaches, muscle tension...are all common in anxiety prone individuals. How does that relate to Back Pain--the blog topic for this week?  According to "Understanding and Conquering the Back Pain Cycle" : "Many times, there is a back pain cycle. If your back pain is severe, you are more likely to attempt to eliminate or relieve the pain by over adjusting. You may constantly be twisting, turning, walking and sitting in unnatural ways, that will eventually just lead to more back pain. Just as anxiety increases back pain, your back pain may increase your anxiety level. Even if anxiety did not initially cause your pain, the

After Monday's post I realized that my readers needed a little more detail about some of the things I was talking about...so, yesterday I posted a YouTube video about proper lifting technique.  Today I want to go into a little more detail about core training. I have been an exercise addict for years.  I frequently hear class instructors emphasize the importance of "core strength."  They also say that core strength is important for protecting the spine.  At some point early on in my "addiction" I remember my car being rear ended; this kind of think can result in whiplash and other such anomalies.  Yet, I did not experience any problems after the incident. I guess there is some truth to this! Let's start by trying to understand what muscles compromise "the core." Here is a picture that might give you some idea.  The trainer's finger is pointing to the zone of the body we are discussing.  The front and back of this body zone comprise "th

Yesterday's post gave some idea of how to prevent back injury--but I did not feel that words alone could describe what good lifting technique is all about. So, for today's post I am sharing a short YouTube video that gives you a visual example of this important technique!

Did you know...that as a person ages, the odds of having a problem with back pain tend to increase?  You might think this is something that goes along with aging, but if the truth be told there are measures one can take to reduce the risk of this problem. In order to avoid spinal issues, it is important to take a look at what causes them.  The main problem is that we tend to spend a lot of time "hunched over"--leaning forward over a computer, or driving, for instance.   Slouching is not unusual, but oh so unhealthy! Many are unaware of proper lifting technique; spinal cord injuries occur as a result. So, with that in mind, here are some tips to keep in mind during every day activities.  By putting some healthy practices in place now, it will save a lot of pain in the back later. 1) When sitting, try not to lean forward.  Even sitting at a 90 degree angle is not preferable. The ideal is to sit at a 135 degree angle.  (see image above) This posture reduce

A medical device for the prevention and treatment of migraine has been approved by the FDA. It is a battery powered device, shaped like a headband...it has been available in some other countries prior to its release in the US.  Here is a video demo and the FDA new release for this product.     FDA NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release: March 11, 2014 Media Inquiries: Jennifer Rodriguez, 301-796-8232, jennifer.rodriguez@fda.hhs.gov Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA FDA allows marketing of first medical device to prevent migraine headaches  Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed marketing of the first device as a preventative treatment for migraine headaches. This is also the first transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device specifically authorized for use prior to the onset of pain. “Cefaly provides an alternative to medication for migraine prevention,” said Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA’s Cent