Every summer millions of us take advantage of fairer weather and longer days to get outside more. Morning runs, weekend bike rides, and long evening strolls become more common. If you're one of the many who frequently get a deep pain in your buttocks, hip or down your leg after you take up summer activities like these the … Read More
Is Facet Joint Syndrome Causing Your Neck & Back Pain?
Facet joints are those that connect the vertebra allowing you to twist and bed, thanks to their slick surface. Even more important however, facet joints work to avoid spinal cord injuries by disallowing us from twisting or bending too far. This inhibited range of motion is a protective measure for the spinal cord. When face … Read More
Is sciatica causing my leg pain?
Do you have a sharp pain that frequently radiates through your buttocks, down the outside of your leg, right into your foot? If so, you might ask me as so many others have: Is sciatica causing leg pain? That's an easy one. No. How can you say that without ever meeting me you ask? Let me explain. The term sciatica can … Read More
Prevent Lower Back Strains When Shoveling Snow
Winter has certainly hit with a vengeance this year. Snowfall records have fallen all along the eastern seaboard. The deep south has seen rare snowstorms. And with several more weeks of winter to go, we can expect to see a lot more of the white stuff across much of the United States. Snow shoveling is great exercise. But lo … Read More
Arnica for Back Pain Relief
Arnica is a member of the daisy family native to mountainous regions of Europe and Siberia. Its flower has been used in herbal medicine preparations to treat muscle aches and inflammation for nearly five centuries. Although arnica is available as a homeopathic remedy to be ingested, most scientific evidence points to topica … Read More
Back Pain Mattress Recommendations
One of the questions we get most here at the Healthy Back Institute is: "what's the best mattress for back pain?". A good mattress can make all the difference in the world for getting a good night's sleep. When sciatica or back pain makes sleeping difficult, picking the right mattress takes on even greater importance. Conv … Read More
Is Being Overweight Causing Your Back Pain?
There has been little disagreement for decades that packing on extra pounds can be detrimental your health. Now there's reason to believe higher levels of belly fat have a direct relationship with pain throughout the body. Having an "apple-shaped" body with more fat around the midsection has been proclaimed as unhealthier t … Read More
TENS for Back Pain?
TENS is back in the news again. TENS therapy is widely used to treat chronic lower back pain by sending electric currents to nerves from a pocket sized battery pack through electrodes attached to the skin (TENS stands for transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation). The big news is the National Academy of Neurology no longer … Read More
Hurt Back? How Exercises Can HURT Your Back
Walk into the office of virtually any doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist with a back pain complaint and chances are you'll return home with the same sheet of paper they give to every patient who walks through their door. On it you'll find various back pain exercises and stretches illustrated. At first glance one mi … Read More
Bad Genes to Blame for Back Pain?
A recently published study out of Denmark was widely reported by news agencies around the globe last month to prove a link between genetics and back pain. But how much can you really blame your back pain on your genes? After reviewing the similarities and differences of 7,664 pairs of twins - about 56% fraternal and 44% ide … Read More