A Landmark Study on Palliation of Bone Mets PainWhen a primary cancer such as cancer of the breast, prostate or lung spreads to the bone (bone mets), treatment strategies become complex. In today’s world of oncology, better systemic chemotherapies can add months and even years to a patient’s life; in addition, local cancer control of […] KEEP READING
What You Should Know About CartilageOne of the most fascinating components of the human body is cartilage, an incredibly versatile material. Trying to describe cartilage is like the six blind men who try to figure out what an elephant is: “The elephant is like a pillar,” said the man who touched his leg. “Oh no! […] KEEP READING
How Stress Makes Essential Tremor WorseEssential tremor (ET) is the most common form of uncontrollable rhythmic shaking, though it is sometimes misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. The involuntary trembling results from abnormal communication between certain areas of the brain (cerebellum, thalamus, and brain stem). It is estimated that 10 million Americans suffer from ET, though many […] KEEP READING
Lower back pain is estimated to affect 80% of adults at one time or another. Most of the time, if there has been no specific injury or trauma that caused it, it clears up within a few weeks. It may be due to sitting long hours in a poorly constructed work chair, the strain of […] CONTINUE
Almost everyone gets back pain at one time or another, right? You lifted that heavy bin the wrong way, your worn-out workstation chair is a nightmare, you were rear-ended, you carry chronic tension in your shoulders, you tried to return an impossible tennis serve and threw out your back…the list goes on and on. But […] CONTINUE
Back pain is one of the most common causes of workplace absences. On the other hand, many occupations actually foster back pain. On-the-job accidents can result in painful injuries to the neck area (cervical spine) or lower back (lumbar spine), but such cases are in the minority. More often, on-the-job back pain results from a […] CONTINUE
It is estimated at 4 out of 5 people will have back pain at least once in their lives. Often, the pain comes on suddenly as the result of a strain or an accident-related injury. However, many people suffer from chronic low back pain due to an ongoing condition. In either case, there is a […] CONTINUE
2 Reasons to Skip Diagnostic Injections for Facet Joint Pain Is there anyone who looks forward to getting a shot? Even though today’s needles are incredibly thin, and doses for things like a flu vaccine are relatively tiny, I suspect that most people experience momentary fluttering in their stomach or a slight increase in heart […] CONTINUE
When Facet Joints Become Locked The facet joints are small, cartilage lined points of contact where the bones (vertebrae) in the spinal column meet the vertebrae above and below. See the illustration.They are located toward the outside of each vertebra, and they both allow mobility and yet limit its range. The facet joints that […] CONTINUE
Words Can’t Describe Facet Joint Pain The whole notion of pain, and how every individual experiences pain, is up for debate. We don’t know how another person experiences pain … Miriam Toews If you have back pain, did you ever try to describe it to someone? Doctors can assess the amount of pain using a scale […] CONTINUE
Spanish Study Confirms Merits of MRgFUS for Facet Pain It’s always exciting when a new way comes along to manage chronic pain with less medication, invasiveness and risk of complications. Lower back pain from facet joint osteoarthritis that does not respond to physical therapy, exercise, heat/cold applications and over the counter anti-inflammatories is particularly difficult […] CONTINUE
4 Needles You May Not Want in Your Back One of the conventional treatments for facet joint pain is x-ray guided injections into the inflamed joints. The facet joints are located between each vertebra (backbone) where the small outer projections of one vertebra meet those above and below. These joints, cushioned with cartilage, allow spinal […] CONTINUE
Do Steroid Injections Damage Facet Cartilage? When patients have back pain that is not responding to noninvasive interventions (oral anti-inflammatories, heat/cold applications, exercise, posture improvement, physical therapy, etc.) the cause may be arthritis of the spine’s facet joints. The standard “definitive” diagnosis is a nerve block (numbing anesthetic) injected into the joint to interrupt pain […] CONTINUE
