Back Pain

Chronic Inflammation and Back Pain: New Research May Help You Calm the Fire

A new study gives great insight into inflammation and back pain, and its startling findings may help you manage chronic back pain. Chronic inflammation in the whole body is an oft-ignored problem which can make back pain worse. Understanding when to focus on treating this issue, and how best to do it sans drugs, may…read more

The Multifidus Muscle and Spine Pain – Cause and Effect

The multifidus muscle is the most important stabilizer of your spine, but one that most patients and physicians have never studied. There are now hundreds of research studies confirming that when this little muscle goes south, all heck breaks loose in the neck and back. The multifidis is easy to spot on the average MRI…read more

Knee and Back Pain and Sleep Problems…

Unlike the days when life was simpler and we slept soundly awakened by the sun, many things contribute to our modern epidemic of poor sleep. That said, I think most of us can agree that pain makes sleep very difficult. Given what the vast majority of our patients present with, this study on knee and back pain and sleep caught my…read more

Laser Back Surgery vs. Traditional Spine Surgery

Is LASER surgery a back surgery alternative? The picture above of Dr. Evil is arguably the world’s most famous air quote. He does this as he describes the laser he has placed on the moon to disintegrate the earth. I feel a little like making this air quote as I speak to some patients about “LASER” Spine…read more

Back Fusion Outcome: Fusion Leads to Dead Multifidus

Decisions in Medicine like most things are based on risk vs. benefit.  There are life saving procedures and surgeries where the answer is clear, but in non emergency situations, are we doing greater good than harm?  A new study looks at the potential damage done to the multifidus in the common surgery, back fusion. So what is…read more

Do You Have a Lower Back Popping Sound When You Move?

What if I told you there is a little muscle in your low back (and neck) that you and your doctor have never heard of, that will probably determine if you ever recover or will have a lifetime of problems. It’s the same muscle that causes a lower back popping sound when it’s offline. Would…read more

Spinal Stenosis Options: PT as Effective as Surgery

What are your spinal stenosis options? Should you have surgery? This has been a rough 5-10 years for surgeons who operate on the joints and the spine. Study after study comparing common surgeries to either placebo surgery (i.e. a fake operation) or physical therapy continues to show that many procedures don’t work. The most recent victim this week…read more

Toe Cramps and Back Pain? My Mother’s Story

How do toe cramps connect to back pain? Most patients with toe cramps believe that they have some sort of nutritional problem, despite many of them actually having a low back issue. In these cases, small amounts of nerve irritation in the low back can cause the muscles in the toe to cramp. This is where…read more