Term52

Pain

The Shoulder

About 12.3 million people went to the doctor's office in 2002 for a shoulder problem, including 4.2 million visits for shoulder and upper arm sprains and strains.

Shoulder injuries can be caused by sports activities that involve excessive overhead motion like swimming, tennis, pitching and weightlifting. People involved in everyday activities like washing walls, hanging curtains, and gardening also can get shoulder injuries due to excessive overhead arm motion.

Athletes are especially susceptible to shoulder problems. A shoulder problem can develop slowly in athletes through repetitive, intensive training routines.

The Spine

More than 30 million visits were made to physician offices in 2002 because of back problems. Eight out of 10 people will experience back pain at some point in their lives. Low back pain is one of the most frequent problems treated by orthopaedic surgeons.

What is the lower back?

Your lower back is a complex structure of vertebrae, disks, spinal cord, and nerves, including:

* five bones called lumbar vertebrae - stacked one upon the other, connecting the upper spine to the pelvis

* six shock absorbers called disks - acting both as cushion and stabilizer to protect the lumbar vertebrae

Low Back Pain

The lower back is an elegant construction of bone, muscle, and . Because the lower back is the hinge between the upper and lower body, it is especially vulnerable to injury when you are lifting, reaching, or twisting. When low back pain strikes, we become acutely aware of just how much we rely on a flexible, strong back. Ironically, most of us don't think of the importance of keeping our back and stomach muscles strong until we have back trouble.

See an illustration of the lower back (lumbosacral region of the spine)

Up to 85% of all people have low back pain at one time or another. Each year, about 2% of American workers are compensated for disability caused by back pain.1 Low back pain is often triggered by some combination of overuse, muscle strain, or injury to the muscles and s that support the spine. Less commonly, low back pain is caused by illness or spinal deformity.

Exercise, Return to Activity Helps Back Pain

By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD

Got Back Pain? Assess Your Options

Low Back Pain Shouldn't Sideline You

Sign Up for the Chronic Pain Newsletter

June 9, 2005 -- Low back pain is one of the most common and difficult-to-treat medical complaints among adults. Treatment often includes physical therapy, but new research shows that a hands-off educational and behavioral approach to pain management works just as well.

Researchers say people in the study who suffered from short-duration low back pain responded well to counseling programs that explored their attitudes toward pain and urged them to exercise and resume routine activities despite their discomfort.

Back Pain - Low

Alternative names
Backache; Low back pain; Lumbar pain; Pain - back

Definition

Pain felt in your lower back may come from the spine, muscles, nerves, or other structures in that region of your back. It may also radiate from other areas like your mid or upper back, a hernia in the groin, or a problem in the testicles or ovaries.

You may feel a variety of symptoms if you hurt your back. You may have a tingling or burning sensation, a dull aching, or sharp pain. You also may experience weakness in your legs or feet.

It won't necessarily be one event that actually causes your pain. You may have been doing many things improperly -- like standing, sitting, or lifting -- for a long time. Then suddenly, one simple movement, like reaching for something in the shower or bending from your waist, leads to the feeling of pain.

Spinal Cord Trauma

Vertebrae

Cauda Equina

Vertebra and Spinal Nerves

Alternative names
Spinal cord compression or injury; Compression of spinal cord

Definition Return to top

Spinal cord trauma is damage to the spinal cord that results from direct injury to the cord itself, or from indirect injury from damage to the bones, soft tissues, and blood vessels surrounding the spinal cord.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top

Spinal cord trauma can be caused by any number of injuries to the spine. They can result from motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries (particularly diving into shallow water), industrial accidents, gunshot wounds, assault, and others.

Lumbar Back Sprains and Strains

Most people will experience back pain during their lifetime. Some patients fear the worst, especially when pain is severe. Although back pain can be caused by fracture, disc disorder, or tumor, the most common cause is sprain or strain.

Sprains and strains often result from excessive physical demands on the back. Lifting something too heavy, a sudden fall, car crash, or sports injury can cause soft tissues (s, muscles, tendons) to stretch too much.

Sprains · Strains
The spine includes vertebrae (bones), discs (cartilaginous pads or shock absorbers), the spinal cord and nerve roots (neurological wiring system), and blood vessels (nourishment). Ligaments link bones together, and tendons connect muscles to bones and discs. The s, muscles, and tendons work together to handle the external forces the spine encounters during movement, such as bending forward and lifting.

Back Pain and Surgery

Q: Is surgery the best treatment for a bad back?
A: Bad backs are a frequent reason people opt for surgery, even though studies show that bulging discs usually shrink over time and that disc problems clear up in the vast majority of patients.

The most common back surgeries (laminectomy, spinal fusion, and discectomy) focus on structural repairs to discs or vertebrae. Any of these surgeries may be done alone or combined, depending on the patient. Laminectomy means a part of a spinal bone (vertebrae), called the lamina, is removed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots.

Spinal fusion melds one vertebral bone (the spine comprises a series of vertebral bones) to another to secure an otherwise dysfunctional spine. A discectomy removes a disc because it has become ruptured or herniated.

Think Twice before Back Pain Surgery

Updated: 10:38 a.m. ET May 23, 2005

LONDON - Surgery to relieve chronic lower back pain is no better than intensive rehabilitation and nearly twice as expensive, researchers said on Monday.

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Low back pain is one of the world's most common complaints. In the 25-nation European Union, it affects over 40 million workers and accounts for nearly half of all sick days.

Researchers at the Nuffield Orthopedic Center in Oxford, England found little difference when they compared the effects of surgery with rehabilitation on nearly 350 sufferers.

“This is strong evidence that intensive rehabilitation is a good thing to do for people with chronic back pain who are thinking of having about having operations,? said Jeremy Fairbank, an orthopedic surgeon at the center.

Efficacy of Ergonomics

Historically, Ergonomics was another name for Human Factors. Today, Ergonomics commonly refers to designing work environments for maximizing safety and efficiency. Biometrics and Anthropometrics play a key role in this use of the word Ergonomics. Engineering Psychology often has a specialty dealing with Workplace or Occupational Ergonomics.

Companies once thought that there was a bottom-line tradeoff between safety and efficiency. Now they embrace ergonomics because they have learned that designing a safe work environment can also result in greater efficiency and productivity. Recently, U.S. laws requiring a safe work environment have stimulated great interest in Workplace Ergonomics - from ergonomic furniture to ergonomic training. But it is in the design of the workplace as a whole where the greatest impact can be seen for both safety and efficiency.