Remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms gave us a great opportunity to arrange the appliances and the cabinetry with my bad back in mind. The result from this major project is that I can do more housework with less pain. First of all, the upper cupboards were lowered a few inches so that most items can [...]

Your back is like a bank account. Pain means that you owe money. If you write acheck without enough money in the “account”, the check is bad because your account is overdrawn. You have to make deposits throughout the day to keep money in the bank and stay out of pain. Here is alist of [...]

The disc acts to distribute loads mainly from vertical and sheer forces, much the same way an air mattress would distribute your load if you laid on it. What happens if the air mattress deflates? Ouch, you eventually hit the ground below. The intervertabral disc is not made out of air, but it is made [...]

To have surgery or not to have surgery, that is the question on many people’s minds that have back pain. Critically evaluating the risks and potential benefits is the key to determining if a surgery is necessary or advisable at all. Unfortunately, as this article points out, many surgeons will operate on anything that walks [...]

Vertebral compression fractures can create a challenging state of chronic pain and disability. The challenge is for both the physician who is scratching his head and for the tearful woman who do not get relief from a conservative treatment plan of physical therapy, bracing, and medications.At this point, it is good to have options. One [...]

The medical community goes to great lengths to place patients in neat little cubby holes by labeling each person with a diagnosis. A recently published study by Buitenhuis et al (Spine, 2008, Volume 33, Number 22, p 2427-2433) demonstrated that specifically believing that one’s neck pain was due to a “whiplash” injury contributed to a [...]

Look good or feel good, that is the dilemma that many women face. Just this week, I saw two women in pain because of their wardrobe choices. Choosing to wear a bra or high heels may give an impression of looking good, but both of these items of clothing can lead to pain. Why does [...]

Bravo! James Blake beat Federer to continue his quest for Olympic gold in tennis. Even more important is Mr. Blake’s inspiring story for people with scoliosis (an abnormal curvature of the spine). As with most people diagnosed with scoliosis, James Blake learned that he had severe scoliosis during his adolescence years, specifically for him, age [...]