Back Pain

A local woman says she has turned her home into a "treasure chest of information" for sufferers of back pain.Margaret Hall, founder of the Back Pain Association of America, says she has developed an international network and database that can link primary care physicians and their patients with back pain medical specialists.The nonprofit organization, which operates out of Ms. Hall's home, has information and library material on medical findings.The group also sponsors a support group that meets at 7:30 p.m. the last Tuesday of each month at the Riviera Beach Library, 1130 Duvall Highway.

Naomi Morgan reached her limit when her doctor recommended a third surgery for chronic back pain. Tired of being cut open only to have the pain return, Morgan, a 65-year-old nursing assistant, began looking for a less invasive and hopefully more effective way to treat her ailment, which she thinks started from lifting patients or moving furniture. She turned to a chiropractor, whom Morgan credits for helping her manage her back pain for the past 21 years with stretching, realignments and other treatments.

Sherry Brourman, a physical therapist, never suspected her back was out of whack until she had a baby, went dancing a couple weeks later, and suffered a "spondy." Short for spondylolisthesis, that's what happens when spinal vertebrae slip forward."I was in tremendous pain," Brourman says. "A lot of docs suggested surgery."Her response: No thanks.She turned to a colleague, who suggested exercises to strengthen her abdominal muscles, which assist back muscles. As she became stronger, she experimented with ways of walking that kept her back pain at bay.Eventually, the California-based therapist developed a system of gait corrections outlined in her 1998 book, "Walk Yourself Well: Eliminate Back, Neck, Shoulder, Knee, Hip, and Other Structural Pain Forever -- Without Surgery or Drugs" (Hyperion)

Graham Motion can't help but hear snippets of news coming from Elmont, N.Y., where I'll Have Another is preparing for a shot at the first Triple Crown in 34 years. "It's great for the sport," the Fair Hill-based trainer said. "But for us, it's tough, too. The length that he won by at Preakness, we lost by that much last year. " Motion can take some solace in knowing the colt that gave him such a gallant run, Animal Kingdom, is finally headed back toward the race track.

Q: Do you have any tips that may stop further attacks of lower back pain?A: Maintain good posture when standing, walking or running. Keep your backbone straight by pulling in your stomach and chin and holding your shoulders back.Maintain good posture when sitting by supporting your spine and supporting muscles.Lose weight to lessen the burden on the lower spine and supporting muscles.Exercise to strengthen the muscles of your back and abdomen. Ask your physician for instructions for appropriate exercises.

For decades, people with low back pain were often told there was only one real solution to their misery: Spinal fusion, in which two or more bony vertebrae are surgically "welded" together in hopes of reducing pain and stabilizing the back. The trouble is, there has never been compelling evidence that this works, partly because new problems - such as stiffness and increased pressure above and below the fused vertebrae - often occur. And the risks are serious, including bleeding to the point of needing a transfusion and accidental nerve injury that leads to pain or weakness.

I need a good machine for someone with lower back problems. I want to keep a good cardio workout. Would a NordicTrack walk-fit be any good? Ouch! I'm recovering from a lower lumbar sprain, myself, so I feel your pain. Still, your phrase "lower back problems" is raising red flags. To answer your question, I turned to one area expert, Chris Wood, a physical therapist and leader of the Good Samaritan Hospital Back School. We both had the same thought: Is your back pain chronic or acute? Consider that about 80 percent of Americans older than 20 will have at least one episode of debilitating back pain in their lifetimes.

Ron Ferguson loved his new mattress so much that after he bought it, he signed on to work at the store that sold it to him. Injuries and backaches plagued Ferguson, 60, for two decades. He couldn't tilt his head, raise his arm or roll out of bed. But after he bought his new mattress last year, he says, it was much easier to get up, get around and get to sleep. "It makes such a difference when you finally find the right one," he says of a good mattress. Americans spend an estimated one-third of their lives sleeping, and sleep is crucial to good health.

More than 65 million Americans suffer low-back pain every year. Backaches are the most common reason for doctor visits, after cold and flu symptoms. In most cases, back pain is caused by the irritation of a nerve root near the spine, not by problems with the muscles, ligament or bone. - American Association of Neurological Surgeons

BOSTON -- One of the surgeons who operated on Larry Bird's back said yesterday that there were no real surprises in the two-hour procedure.However, Dr. Alexander Wright took one look at Bird's beat-up lower back on the morning of June 7 and wondered to himself, "How did this guy do it?""I don't see how he played with what he had," said Wright, an orthopedic surgeon and chief of spine surgery at New England Baptist Hospital, who operated on Bird along with Dr. Gerwin Neumann, a neurosurgeon.

Orioles right-hander Jim Johnson, the favorite to win the closer job this spring, said he believes he's no more than a week behind the other pitchers as today's first spring workouts commence Johnson is slated to have a throwing session on flat ground today as part of a “trunk stabilization” program to aid his recovery from some recent lower back pain. He said he began to experience some pain early last month. “There was no (specific) incident,” Johnson said. “I just went to see the doctor and it's no big deal.

Just a few weeks after reporting to spring training camp and expressing confidence that his recent health issues are behind him, second baseman Brian Roberts is again dealing with back pain. Roberts, who has been sidelined since Monday after experiencing back spasms, had "trigger-point injections" Friday and is scheduled to have an MRI on Saturday. "We don't know. We'll just have to see," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. "Fortunately, this is a doctor that he saw last year.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts has been dealing with lower-back pain, but Orioles officials said Thursday that they believe he'll be able to hit the ground running when full squad workouts begin next week. "He told me when he's here he'll be a full go," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. There had been Internet speculation that Roberts suffers from kidney stones, but Trembley said he talked to Roberts and was told he had a back spasm. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail seemed unconcerned that Roberts might come to camp with any restrictions.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts has been dealing with lower back pain, but Orioles officials said Thursday that they believe he'll be able to hit the ground running when full squad workouts begin next week. "He told me when he's here he'll be a full go," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. There had been some Internet speculation that Roberts is suffering from kidney stones, but Trembley said he talked to Roberts recently and was told that he had a back spasm. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail also seemed unconcerned that Roberts might come into camp under any restrictions.

Have you ever wondered what your child is carrying in his or her backpack? Textbooks, notebooks, pens. Perhaps gym clothes. A library book or two. Oh, and don't forget lunch. With all this - and who knows what else? - in their backpacks, is it any wonder that youths may be at risk for back pain? Indeed, overstuffed backpacks can cause aching muscles and strained backs, long the province of the over-the-hill set, in youths, says Chris Wood, a physical therapist with Good Samaritan Hospital's Back School.

So there I was, the quintessential battered athlete, standing in a silly little hospital gown with a back that wouldn't close so physical therapist Susan Lattanzi could put me through my paces. I had arrived on her doorstep at Mount Auburn Physical Therapy Associates in Watertown, Mass., because my right shoulder was killing me. I had just joined a swim team and quickly increased my weekly yardage by a substantial amount. By the time I saw Lattanzi, I couldn't swim 15 minutes without my shoulder screeching in protest.

Chiropractors say they have been vindicated by federal health officials who this week endorsed chiropractic care, along with low-stress exercise and pain relievers, as an effective treatment for acute lower back pain.But that has not changed the minds of some medical doctors, who continue to doubt that chiropractors' manipulation of the human spine has more than a minor impact, if any, on acute back pain."Chiropractic does a little good," said Dr. Donlin M. Long, a medical doctor and director of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

Music can strike up a better attitude All types of music may improve moods. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University asked 47 students, slightly more than half of them music majors, to keep diaries of their listening habits for two weeks, including how they felt before and after listening to music. If the students were already in a positive frame of mind, music increased those emotions, the study found. If they were feeling pessimistic or angry, the negative mood decreased. Rock and heavy metal were the most commonly listened to kinds of music.

Christina Shimek, a senior at St. Bernard's High School in Fitchburg, Mass., is only 17, but she has already experienced more pain than many adults have to bear in a lifetime. A year ago, Christina said, she woke up one morning "in excruciating pain in my lower back and pelvic area. I was in tears." Frantic, her parents took her to the hospital, where doctors assumed the trouble was her appendix and took it out. But the appendix turned out to be normal. The pain persisted. She missed school for four months, had to repeat chemistry and missed an important rite of passage, her "junior ring ceremony," in which students get their class rings.

I need a good machine for someone with lower back problems. I want to keep a good cardio workout. Would a NordicTrack walk-fit be any good? Ouch! I'm recovering from a lower lumbar sprain, myself, so I feel your pain. Still, your phrase "lower back problems" is raising red flags. To answer your question, I turned to one area expert, Chris Wood, a physical therapist and leader of the Good Samaritan Hospital Back School. We both had the same thought: Is your back pain chronic or acute? Consider that about 80 percent of Americans older than 20 will have at least one episode of debilitating back pain in their lifetimes.