Back Pain

The Cleveland Clinic describes the various ways back and neck problems are diagnosed, such as analyzing body fluids to rule out any diseases, taking X-rays, performing bone scans, and conducting discograms.

WebMD has a list of ways to treat acute and chronic back pain at home. Studies show bed rest, for example, does not relieve pain better than staying active. Avoiding cigarette smoke is a good idea, because “smoking slows tissue healing.”

The American Academy of Family Physicians’s peer-reviewed journal, American Family Physician, has an article outlining the different clinical treatments for acute low back pain, starting with diagnosis and ruling out more serious disorders. Look for tables illustrating “red flags,” which indicate when back pain may be symptomatic of something more serious, signs of different back problems, and guidelines for when people with low back pain should return to work. This article also extensively describes various treatments and their effectiveness.

MedlinePlus is a site run by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Find descriptions of nonspecific back pain and nonspecific back pain treatments. Surgery, for example, is not an effective treatment method for nonspecific pain.

Mayo Clinic says surgery doesn’t usually fix back pain, and it is needed in only a very small number of cases. This article also describes the conditions in which surgery may be necessary and the types of back surgery available.

Spine-health.com is a doctor-run site with a page of short videos that illustrate a variety of surgical and nonsurgical procedures. The videos are animated and don’t show the procedures being performed on actual people. Look for procedures such as laminectomy back surgery, spinal cord stimulator implant, spine fusion surgery, and discography.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [(NCCAM) is part of the National Institutes of Health. Find information on the use of magnets to treat pain, answer questions regarding the side effects or complications of magnets for pain, and discover what consumers should know if they are considering using magnets to treat pain. Note that studies haven’t proven the effectiveness of magnets to treat pain. Another page discusses acupuncture.

The Annals of Internal Medicine in 2005 published a review of 33 studies that concluded that acupuncture effectively relieves back pain, but it isn’t necessarily better than other treatment methods.

Mayo Clinic has a page on which a neurologist answers a question about the effectiveness of inversion therapy, in which a person is either suspended by the ankles or lies on a table that slowly tilts toward the person’s head. A Mayo Clinic rheumatologist also answers a similar question about prolotherapy, a process of injecting tendons and ligaments with a solution to encourage tissue production.

Mayo Clinic says yoga may help relieve low back pain and help you lose weight, which can also help stave off future back problems. Learn about yoga, its other benefits, and some of its risks. Be sure to talk to your doctor before you practice yoga, especially if you have a history of back problems.

ScienceDaily has an article about a study that found yoga to be more effective for low back pain than regular exercise or receiving a self-help book about back pain. Published in 2005, the study involved 101 adults who reported low back pain. After about six months of weekly yoga classes, plus practicing yoga at home, the participants reported less pain and more range of movement, and fewer of the patients used pain medication.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is part of the National Institutes of Health. Find information on chiropractic including a history of chiropractic, chiropractors regulation, scientific research on chiropractic, and chiropractic side effects.

The Cleveland Clinic says there is often a psychosomatic component to chronic back pain, where “psychological factors play a large role in determining the person’s experience of that problem.” Find suggestions for coping with chronic back pain, advice for recovery from surgery, and psychological techniques that can be used to manage pain.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons aims to advance the quality of musculoskeletal health. Search for one of its members by name, city, or zip code.

ClinicalTrials.gov , a clearinghouse operated by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, provides a list of research clinical trials currently underway to test experimental treatments for back pain. To learn more about clinical trials, speak to your doctor and read the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s clinical trials guide.