11/21/2013 |

Is it possible to predict lower back pain?

The answer is yes. Recent research suggests that chronic back pain is linked to certain problems related to brain connectivity and that our own built-in “brain scanner” may determine to what extent we are likely to suffer a lifetime of lower back pain.

A problem that could leave us disabled The figures are very distressing: in the U.S. alone, 100 million people have no other alternative but to live with back pain, made complicated by the fact that it has many possible causes. For example, chronic pain in the lower back may be caused by problems in the bones or ligaments of the spine or may result from conditions occurring in nearby organs such as pancreas or kidneys. The most likely source of pain, however, is the natural wear and tear of our intervertebral discs. This is a process that worsens when our back or Read more
04/30/2013 |

We cannot turn our back on lower back pain

This cannot or should not be done from a medical point of view, as back pain is one of the problems with a wider impact among European citizens. Thus, it does not come as a surprise that the number of people affected in the EU is estimated at 67 million people. Back pain costs the UK about £7bn a year in sickness leave and treatment costs.

Why do I have lower back pain? There are a wide variety of pathologies that can cause back pain at certain moments of our lives: • Sciatica (caused by pressure or damage to the sciatic nerve) • Stretching or tear in the muscles or ligaments in the back • Scoliosis or kyphosis (curvature of the spine) • Fractures of the spine caused by osteoporosis • Muscle spasms • Herniated disc • Cancer or spinal fracture • Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal that compresses the spinal cord) Pain could also stem from other medical problems: - Abnormal enlargement or aneurysm in the aorta that causes leaks - Arthritis - Infections of the Read more