The events preceding a laminectomy can be dramatic — such as when a patient experiences intense and unremitting pain in the extremities. Or when numbness and tingling in those areas graduates to full on muscle weakness — or worse, complete paralysis. These and other symptoms may indicate the spinal cord and nerves are compressed, and […]
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Most of us are aware that water is coursing throughout our bodies—that we are around 60% water. But few may know that muscles are around 79% water—or that bones are 31% water. Being properly hydrated, then, becomes an important way to keep our muscles, bones and other body parts functioning well. WHY DRINK MORE WATER? There […]
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One of the easiest ways to ease your back pain—disarmingly simple, in fact—is to stand up. Do it enough times each day and this fairly easy fix will provide you with immense relief. WHY STAND UP MORE? Sitting for prolonged periods of time puts about 40% more pressure on the discs in your lower back […]
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Every January we cast the new year as an opportunity for redefinition and new beginnings. We resolve to make outsized changes to our lives — only to chalk them up as failures a few weeks later. The first problem is the scope of our resolutions. They tend to be so big we are destined to […]
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The holidays are when many of us crisscross the country on serious road trips – and all that traveling can be a pain in the back. The biggest problem comes from sitting – in the car, on the plane, on the couch – and the ways in which it taxes your low back. How? By […]
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When we think about the holidays, we tend to think about sumptuous meals, glittering decorations and family squabbles. What we rarely think about is how those same rituals can result in holiday back pain. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, around 250 injuries occur each day during the holiday season — and around 10 […]
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Winter sports are exhilarating, in part, because of the meeting between burning muscles and crisp, biting air — and because they are a competition against extreme elements. It is this meeting of extremes that makes wintertime ripe for both back pain and injury. Sprains, strains, swollen muscles — and worse — were just a few […]
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You just pushed back from the table after enjoying a mountain of mashed potatoes and a ton of turkey. ’Tis the season to let loose and consume rich, fatty foods. And it always seems to end the same way: With swollen waistlines. Extra weight is not just uncomfortable. If you’re already struggling to maintain a […]
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We tend to think about back pain as something that gets in the way of sleep. Of course painful spasms or knots in back muscles are going to make it difficult to get to sleep— or stay asleep. What you may not know is the equation also works in the other direction. Sometimes not sleeping […]
