Is there a permanent cure for back pain?

Unfortunately No. Back pain affects millions of people and accounts for high morbidity. For most people, the only way to relieve back pain is with the use of pain killers. There are many types of traction devices, herbs, lotions, pastes, enemas, detox diets, and support instruments for the back. All these either provide temporary relief or are worthless remedies. In most cases, use of these back pain remedies will only worsen your pain and make you go broke. 

Just like the weight loss industry, back pain treatment is a multi billion dollar industry with many charlatans who make lots of false promises. As far as surgery is concerned, keep away from back surgeons unless it is an absolute emergency. It is the very rare patient who ever benefits from back surgery. For every one happy individual, there are thousands more who are incapacitated and in worse shape then before. Moreover, back surgery is often associated with serious complications. 

If you have severe back pain, try a combination of gentle exercise, physical therapy and cut down on your weight. You will live a lot longer (and get to keep your money) if you keep away from back surgeons and the nonsensical traction devices.

Does traction therapy help back pain? Part 2

That traction is at best considered sham or a scam- which means it did diddly squat. Traction was no more effective than taking a sugar pill (placebo). A variety of traction devices were analyzed and the conclusion was the same- traction devices are nothing more than a scam. Irrespective of whether the individual underwent continuous traction or intermittent traction, no one benefitted from this type of therapy In fact many individuals developed more complications from traction and some even required emergent surgery.

The authors concluded that traction alone as a treatment for low back pain is as good as garbage.

So if you have back pain, save your hard earned money on these sham devices and keep away from scamming health care professionals who are more interested in your money than your back.

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD003010. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003010.pub4

Does traction therapy help back pain? Part 1

Low-back pain (LBP) affects millions of individuals in North America and is a major health problem. The medical costs of low back pain are enormous resulting in absenteeism, disability and poor quality life style. No one satisfactory treatment for low back pain exists and almost every week a new therapy is developed. In the last 2 decades, traction has been advocated as a panacea for back pain. There are several type of devices ranging from mechanical and manual traction.

Today, many physicians have fancy traction devices in their clinics which they hype up as a cure for sciatica and other types of back pain. It is recommended that one enroll in traction treatment sessions 1-2 times a week for 12-16 weeks and voila, you will be cured. One should not forget that traction treatments do not come cheap. All the data on traction treatment and its benefits come directly from the mouth of people who make these machines or physicians who promote these devices.

So do they work?

Researchers looked at randomized controlled studies to determine if traction really worked. More than 2200 patients who received 1045 sessions of traction were evaluated from several clinical trials.

And what did the researchers find?

KISS principle for treating back pain

Back pain is a common ailment in our society. Millions of individuals develop back pain each year and the majority remain dis-satisfied with available treatments. There are many treatments for acute back pain and most do not work. The majority of health care workers believe that the latest treatments are always the best- so most individuals end up with prescriptions for fancy treatments and end up spending thousands of dollars- at the end of the day there is only one person that benefits from all this- the health care provider.

So are all these fancy novel therapies great? Can they really help decrease or prevent back pain?

Recently, a study from Australia provided some very interesting results. Australian investigators followed 240 adults who had developed acute back pain with or with radiation to the lower legs. All patients received advice and acetaminophen (Tylenol). In addition, other individuals were randomized to receive spinal manipulation or Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs like diclofenac. In this blind study, some individuals also received mock (false) manipulations of the spine.

So what was the result?

Neither diclofenac nor spinal manipulations hastened recovery. Individuals who received both spinal manipulations and NSAIDS did not recover any quicker than those who received neither.

So what does the study tell us?

The study strongly suggests that health care pros should stop mucking around with the back with complicated hodge podge of therapies. Keep it simple, stupid (KISS). Bed rest and Tylenol are the best treatment in most cases of acute back pain. The less one “screws” around with the back, the better the results.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/566980

Failed Back Surgery: part 4

There are other causes of failed back pain including neuropathic pain that can occur from injury to the nerve. Other causes of failed back pain syndrome include infection and psychosocial issues.

For all individuals with back pain, surgery is rarely ever the first treatment. If your surgeon recommends surgery for your back; you need to get a new surgeon or a 2nd opinion. While there are some decent orthopedic surgeons, there are just as many bad ones. Some back surgeons are in too much of a rush to make money and fail to adequately work the patient up. This often leads to complications afterwards.

The majority of patients who have failed back syndrome usually seek multiple opinions from different doctors in search for an answer to their back problem. This often confuses the issue because many physicians simply ascribe it to psychosocial issues and never bother to investigate. So if you have failed back syndrome, go seek help from a reputable health care worker.

Remember, always try non-surgical methods to treat your back pain. When a surgeon screws up your back with surgery, there are no other options except to live a life in agony and pain,

Failed Back Surgery

The treatment of back pain is very unsatisfactory. There are hundreds of non-surgical treatments of back pain and the majority are worthless. When individuals run out of options, many resort to surgery. Sometimes, patients are pushed into surgery by unscrupulous orthopedic surgeons.

Surgery for back pain has been around for many decades. There are many types of procedures for back pain. In each and every case, the principle is the same--relieve pressure of the nerve. Over the years, back surgery has been refined, newer procedures have been devised and incisions have been made smaller.

Surgeons are always bragging about their success rates. Overall, surgery for back pain has been an abysmal failure. It is fraught with severe complications- the most important being that patients are generally in a worse shape than they started out. Almost every patient has a negative story about back pain surgery and testimonials on cyberspace all attest to the fact.

The types of surgery usually performed for back pain include fusion, discectomy, or laminectomy. It is the rare individual who gets a successful result after back surgery. Numbers released by surgeons are unreliable, and do not reflect the truth. Despite so-called successful surgery, many individuals continue to have either pain or have failure to improve mobility or posture. The exact number of patients who fail back surgery is not known because surgeons do not like to brag about their complications. Judging from cyberspace testimonials, the numbers are enormous.

Insoles for back pain: part 2

So do insoles help people with back pain?

Well, there have been a few scientific studies that have looked at people who used insoles and walked everyday. Some studies were designed to determine if insoles prevented back pain and others looked to see if insoles relieved back pain. The studies looked at healthy young males who are most prone to back injury. The study included assessment of pain, intensity, duration of pain, absenteeism and functional status. All data were analyzed independently.

So what about the results?

Insoles did absolutely squat in term of preventing back pain. BIG ZERO- diddlysquat. The type of insole, color, size or even the cost did not make any difference. People still developed back pain and no matter what type of insole was used, pain still occurred.

So what happens now?

Well, for one thing- insoles do have a role for treating certain foot disorders but they are useless for back pain. Please consumers do not be so trusting of health pros- medicine is a business and a very profitable one. So read about your condition, ask questions, get referrals and do not fall for such gimmicks.

For those who have bought many pairs of insoles for back pain, you can now use them on your chair to cushion your buttocks.

http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab005275.html

Insoles for Back pain: Real or BS?

Back pain is a major health problem in our society. There is no real answer how to best treat it. Millions of people are disabled from back pain and cost to the health care system is in billions of dollars each year. Everyday, a new theory comes up and along with it- a new treatment. There is a strong belief among certain people in the health profession that back pain may be related to posture and anatomy of feet. Podiatrists, physical therapist, orthopedists, and a whole bunch of other health professionals have now gotten into the business of feet, shoes, and insoles.

These health pros first started to correct feet to cure back pain and the result was an abysmal failure. This was followed by custom designed shoes- most custom designed shoes cost as much as a month’s rent and the public realized that perhaps this was a scam and so now these pros have started to sell insoles.

There are insoles of every type, color style, designs, and shape. Some are standard and others are custom designed. One would think that a piece of plastic or rubber that fits into a shoe would costs a few bucks- Wrong; podiatrists and all their colleagues have now learnt the art of ripping people off. Insoles can cost as much as a month’s grocery- Shocking but true. Millions of insoles are sold each year. Most people have an insole for every pair of shoe. There appears to be insole mania in society.

What is so great about insoles you ask? Well these health pros claim that insoles can align the foot, ease pressure on the back, and absorb shock when feet strike the ground- sure sounds great so far.

Cold laser therapy: Scam or Sham treatment for Pain? part 3

Are there any side effects?

Sure, there are side effects. Trying zapping yourself with a laser. Nevertheless, the providers say there are no side effects

Are there any complications from the cold laser?

Sure, you go home with less money in your pockets after being treated with nonsensical therapy. Anytime you apply a laser, there is a chance of complication. There are ample testimonials on cyberspace which claim that there is intense pain from the treatment. The other major complication after cold laser therapy is that it does not work.

What are benefits of cold laser treatment?

- relief from pain
- increased ability of body to heal
- better blood supply to tissues
- enhanced immune system to help fight off toxins
- build up of new muscle and collagen
- promotion healing
- decreased inflammation

By the way, none of the above actually happens. These are just hypothetical statements made by vendors of the cold laser.

What is cost of cold laser therapy?

The cost of cold laser therapy depends on the medical disorder and how long the treatment is required. The treatment is not covered by Medicare or any private medical insurance. The average cost per session of cold laser therapy varies from $30-$100.

How many sessions does one need?

Many. No one ever gets cured with one session. If you sign up for more sessions, you also get a T-shirt saying that you are a sucker.

Final Note

Dear Consumers, Please do not fall these gimmicks. It seems that the bone doctors, naturopaths, therapists and everyone else in health care seem to think that lasers can do magic. Definitely Not. Lasers do have a role in medicine and do provide a lot of benefit. However, Cold laser therapy is just a gimmick and considered sham treatment. There are ample testimonials on cyberspace about cold laser therapy and how ineffective the treatment is. Therefore, before you enroll for any treatment, read about it, ask questions, get referrals, and discuss this with your doctor (as long as he/she is not the one providing this gimmick therapy). Sometimes in life, you live a lot longer and happier if you keep away from bogus treatments and charlatans.

Cold laser therapy: Scam or Sham treatment for Pain? part 2

Where is cold laser therapy done?

The treatment is performed as an outpatient at a clinic, salon, or a physician’s office. You lie down, make yourself comfortable and then the hand held laser is held close to skin and activated. The laser penetrates skin and generates heat in your body. The doctors claim that the heat then heals the tissues.

How many types of lasers are there?

Well, every week there is a new laser, there is a hot laser, fractional laser, cold laser, medium laser, soft laser, wrinkle laser, Fraxel laser, affirm laser, diode laser, CO2 laser and the list goes on. This should tell the consumer that there is no ideal laser that works. Just like weight loss gimmicks, lasers do not fare any better- at least when it comes to pain control or erasing wrinkles.

What can a cold laser treat?

Well, I think the question should be what it can’t treat? The providers of cold laser claim that it can heal and cure almost every type of bone, joint and muscle injury (if this was true, why do we still have more than 50 million individuals with arthritic and joint pain?)

The claims are that Cold laser can be used to treat the following injuries:

- traumatic injury to muscle
- traumatic injury to bone
- back pain
- neck pain
- shoulder pain
- elbow pain
- wrist pain
- chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia
- any joint pain
- any type of arthritis
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- tendinitis
- neuropathic pain
- sports related injuries
- strains and sprains

When does one see results with cold laser treatment?

Majority see no relief of anything, except less money in their pockets. The providers of this therapy claim that pain relief is not instantaneous. It can take several sessions of laser treatment to see pain relief (have you not heard this same line with the cosmetic surgeons and wrinkles!)

How long does each session last?

If you have mild pain, just one zap of the laser is ok and it takes a few minutes. A few seconds for the laser and several more minutes up at the cashier. If you have many joints that need treatment, it can take 20-30 minutes.

Prolotherapy and chronic back pain- another junk treatment- part 2

How many sessions are required?

The manufacturer claims that most individuals need 4 sessions of treatment (if the treatment is curative, one wonders why more treatments are necessary?) Or if the pain has disappeared, why should one need more Prolotherapy? These are just some of the questions that remain unanswered.

Is there pain afterwards?

After the injections, all patients have some degree of discomfort at the pain site. The soreness does remain for some time- some individuals even get a flare up of pain and the manufacturer claims that this is simply part of the healing process.

What are complications?

Other risks of the injections are pain, swelling and bruising. Judging from the literature, there have been a fair number of complications depending on where this substance has been injected. Many patients have also developed severe nerve injury which has resulted in pain which is more than they started off with.

What is cost of prolotherapy

Before you jump in the queue for Prolotherapy, know that many insurance companies do not cover this treatment and Medicare has so far rejected it as pseudo science. The cost of a single joint injection ranges from $200- $300. For those who need more than one injection, the cost can be as high as $1,000-1500. And the manufacturers recommended 4 sessions.

Is it approved?

NO. At present Prolotherapy is considered experimental; therapy. Every single scientific study which has reviewed Prolotherapy has found it to be ineffective in the treatment of chronic pain.

Does it work?

Definitely not. This is just another worthless treatment for back and joint pain, designed to scam people. Unfortunately, many health care professionals have been hyping about the therapy but there is ZERO clinical evidence. Few testimonials on cyberspace claim this is a painful procedure which does nothing and is expensive.

Final Point

There are a great many doctors administering Prolotherapy but that does not mean it works or that it is effective- the common denominator is money. So in the end, read about the treatment and talk to people. If you are ever in doubt about your health care worker and his/her response, always get a second opinion. Medicine and money has yet to heal any disease and has been known to create more problems that you started off with. Therefore, Buyer Beware. Best advice- keep away from prolotherapy, just another scam.

Prolotherapy and Chronic Back Pain- Another Junk Treatment

What is prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy is a novel natural technique that is claimed to stimulate the body’s internal systems to help with the healing process. The proponents of Prolotherapy claim that when the usual pain medications or surgery do not help, Prolotherapy can be very useful for treating back and joint pain.

What is involved?

The principle of Prolotherapy require injections of a chemical into the affected part of the body. This substance then triggers the body to react in a positive way and helps heal the wound. The eventual result is tightening of tendons, deposition of collagen and healing of the muscles. It is claimed that Prolotherapy is 100% effective at eliminating chronic pain which is due to ligament of tendon weakness. The solution must be injected into the injured area for the best success.

What part of the body can be treated?

Prolotherapy is designed to treat two types of body tissues, tendon and ligaments. These structures have tenuous blood supply and when they get injured the healing is poor. As the tendons relax and fail to heal, the pain continues to be chronic. The people who market Prolotherapy claim that the treatment is useful for arthritis, mechanical low back pain, degenerative joint disease and many types of sports injuries. In all such scenarios, Prolotherapy helps the body heal tendons and ligaments making them stronger and thicker.

Where is the procedure done?

Prolotherapy injections are done in a physician's office and take anywhere form 30-60 minutes. The discomfort from the injections is variable but most patients claim that it is a painful process. One has to be medicated with 3 different types of drugs before the drug can be injected.