Category: Back Pain

From back pain to depression, one woman’s agonizing journey

From back pain to depression, one woman’s agonizing journey In my practice, I’ve worked with countless patients who were referred by their providers because their back pain had no physical cause. Exams, X-rays, and MRIs showed nothing abnormal. Those tests don’t show over-reactive, over-sensitized nerves! And when a physician doesn’t understand this stress-related condition, they…

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Why does it hurt? Use this evaluator to understand your pain

Nerve Sensitization Symptom Evaluator Author: Shana L Johnson MD, AskDrShana   Signs that pain is related to nerve sensitization (nociplastic pain) includes long-standing symptoms symptoms (> 3 months), spread of symptoms beyond the boundary of the injury area, marked increased sensitivity to painful stimuli, and non-pain symptoms that cause system-wide symptoms like severe fatigue, disrupted…

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How to strengthen your aching low back

Mechanical low back pain is back pain coming from the bones and muscles of the spine. It is very common and increases in frequency with age. Many people start experiencing back pain in their 30’s and 40’s. Fortunately, exercise helps most people with back pain feel better. More specifically, functional exercise that includes core strengthening…

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Lower Back Pain: Facet Joint Pain

Lower back pain arises from multiple areas in the back. Whiles many are familiar with back pain from injured discs, pain may also arise from small joints in the back called the facet joints. Facet joint pain is a cause of lower back pain that is frequently overlooked.

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Lower Back Pain: Pinched Nerves

  A disc herniation in the back is a common cause of lower back pain and pinched nerves. The pain often shoots down the leg and into the toes. The pain is from both nerve compression and inflammation. The symptoms are commonly described as painful numbness and tingling, as well as burning shooting down the…

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Low Back Pain–A Low Impact Exercise Program

Lower back pain is very common and increases in frequency with age. Many people start experiencing back pain in their 30’s and 40’s. Fortunately, exercise helps most people with back pain feel better. More specifically, functional exercise that includes core strengthening and stretching gets people back to the activities they enjoy.

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