Back Pain

Patient Video Story: Back to Life after Spinal Tumor Surgery

April 16th, 2013 By Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center

Spine Tumor Patient Story VideoDoug House is an Emory Spine Center patient who had a large spinal tumor. Doug was in pain for over 10 years and had several problems performing basic daily activities including walking, sleeping, and controlling his bladder. He thought he would live the rest of his life unable to perform basic life functions. Doug was referred to our team at the Emory Spine Center and now is back to his old self and able to enjoy life again.

Watch Doug’s incredible story in the video below and learn more from Emory physicians Dr. Gerald (Rusty) Rodts and Dr. Daniel Refai on what makes spinal tumor treatment at Emory different.

Share|

Read More | (0)

Does Your Child Have Hip or Spine Problems? Chat Live with Dr. Fletcher!

January 10th, 2013 By Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center

Pediatric Orthopedic ChatDid you know that children can be affected by a wide array of orthopaedic hip and spine issues? Scoliosis, kyphosis, hip dysplasia, leg length differences and femoroacetabular impingement are just a few of the conditions our team sees most commonly from pediatric patients. These conditions can lead to time away from school and chronic pain and disability later in life.

Join Emory Pediatric Orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Nicholas Fletcher, for a live interactive web chat on Tuesday, February 5 at noon to get all your questions about symptoms, causes and the newest treatment options for pediatric orthopedic hip and spine conditions answered! See you there!

Sign Up for the Chat

About Dr. Fletcher
Dr. Nicholas FletcherDr. Fletcher takes care of all pediatric orthopaedic trauma, neuromuscular disorders, leg length differences, foot conditions, and angular deformities of the lower limbs. In addition, the management of pediatric spinal and hip conditions are particular areas of expertise. Dr. Fletcher also specializes in pediatric and young adult hip conditions including hip dysplasia, femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), perthes disease, avascular necrosis, and slipped capital femoral epiphysis. He is one of only a handful of surgeons in the southeast with expertise in the Ganz or periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) for hip dysplasia and the modified Dunn osteotomy for slipped capital femoral epiphysis. He takes care of children of all ages with hip conditions in addition to young adults with hip dysplasia and impingement.

Share|

Read More | (0)

Understanding the Potential Benefits of Physical Therapy

October 24th, 2012 By Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center

National Physical Therapy MonthThe American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)’s National Physical Therapy Month (NPTM) is celebrated each October as a way to bring awareness around the potential health benefits to be sustained via physical therapy. Over 90% of back and neck problems, for example, will resolve themselves without surgery, and for some patients, there are unique benefits achieved from treatment by a physical therapist.

Physical therapy is a form of treatment—practiced by a licensed physical therapist under the referral of a physician. The purpose of physical therapy is to improve and/or restore mobility in patients for whom it is limited due to a medical condition, surgical procedure, accident or fall, neurological disease or other medical condition that has limited a patient’s functional mobility.  Often the injury limits the performance of everyday tasks.

Physical therapy programs at Emory Healthcare are available to support every type of mobility and functionality issue patients may experience. Whether a patient’s functional mobility issues relate to a neurological occurrence like a stroke, or an athletic injury like a torn ACL, our physical therapists available on both an inpatient and outpatient basis are here to help.

For more information on our physical therapy programs, including information on our department of Rehabilitation Medicine, please visit the links below.

Related Resources:

Share|

Read More | (0)

Backpack Awareness: Tips to Help Kids Avoid Backpack Pain & Injuries This School Year

September 18th, 2012 By Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center

Backpack AwarenessIf you have a child who’s middle-school age or older, you’re very aware of their overloaded backpack. Or maybe you’re in school and suffering from overly weighty textbooks. Whoever carries the load in your family, it’s time for everyone to take the backpack seriously.

Heavy backpacks and book bags cause back, neck, and shoulder pain and injury. It’s a fact. That’s why the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA) instituted the third Wednesday in September – this year, it’s September 19th – as National School Backpack Awareness Day™.

Consider these facts from AOTA:

  • More than 79 million children in the U.S. carry school backpacks.
  • More than 2,000 backpack-related injuries were treated in ERs, clinics, and doctors’ offices in 2007 alone.
  • About 55% of students carry a backpack that is heavier than the recommended guideline of 10% of the wearer’s body weight.

That’s right. A loaded backpack should never weigh more than 10% of the wearer’s bodyweight (15% at absolute max). That means a 100-pound child’s backpack shouldn’t weigh more than 10 pounds. You’re thinking, “Try telling that to my kid’s teacher!” right? Well, there are some steps you can take to improve your child’s lot. Take a moment and share these back-saving tips:

  1. Choose the right bag. School backpacks are sized according to age group, so be sure to get one that’s not too big. Choose a light-weight bag with wide, well-padded shoulder straps, a padded back, and a waist strap. Avoid leather shoulder straps, as they add unnecessary weight. If you know your load is going to exceed the 10% rule on a regular basis, get a bag with wheels. Don’t risk injury.
  2. Pack your bag properly. Load the heaviest items first, so they’ll be closest to your back, and arrange books and materials so they don’t slide around. Pack only what’s necessary. Do you really need that laptop? If not, leave it out. If you have to, carry a book or two by hand to avoid breaking the 10% rule.
  3. Carry your bag correctly. Always wear your backpack on both shoulders and wear the waist belt, so that the weight is distributed evenly. You may think it looks cool to sling your pack over one shoulder, but you’re putting your back at risk for injury. Adjust the shoulder and waist straps so that the pack fits snugly. The backpack should rest evenly in the middle of the back and should never be more than 4 inches below the waistline (if it’s hitting your bottom, it’s too low).

As the school year gets going, pay attention to your child’s load. If your child is struggling to get the backpack on or off, complains of back pain, or has to lean forward to carry the pack, it’s probably too heavy. And carrying an overloaded backpack shouldn’t have to be a childhood rite of passage.

Do you or your child carry a heavy backpack to class? How do you handle the load? We welcome your questions and feedback in the comments section below.

Share|

Read More | (0)

3 Things You Can Do Now to Prevent Future Back Pain

July 5th, 2012 By Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center

At some point in our lives, most of us struggle with lower back pain. The good news is it’s never too late to make positive changes in your lifestyle. Preventive steps now can help keep your back healthier down the road.These three things may make the difference between future suffering and living pain free:

1. Get active. Staying active may be the single most important thing you can do to maintain a healthy back. When you don’t get enough exercise, the muscle tone in your lower back can weaken, which may cause the pelvis to tilt too far forward, causing back pain. Regular exercise helps prevent back pain by strengthening your back and abdominal muscles. Just 30 minutes a day of a low-impact exercise like swimming, walking, or stationary cycling can increase muscle strength and flexibility. Yoga is also great for stretching and strengthening muscles and improving posture. If you’re already experiencing back pain, you may want to meet with an Emory physiatrist or physical therapist, who can customize an exercise plan for you.

2. Lose weight. If you’re overweight or obese, chances are you already experience back pain. One of the best things you can do now to ease pain and prevent future back pain is to lose weight. Being overweight or obese affects not only the cardiovascular and endocrine systems but the skeletal system. The skeletal system is made to support a healthy weight. Obesity puts an extra strain on all your weight-bearing joints, such as the hips and knees, but also on the spinal column. The resulting poor posture can cause chronic back pain.

3. Stop smoking. If you’re a smoker, you already know it’s not healthy. But you may not have realized it can contribute to back problems, not just later in life, but now. Many of the chemicals in cigarettes, including nicotine, have been shown to be toxic to spinal disc cells in laboratory experiments. Also, the carbon monoxide in cigarettes decreases the amount of oxygen in the blood. Because spinal discs have no capillaries, they rely on osmosis for oxygen delivery. Without oxygen-rich blood, the discs don’t get the nutrients they need, making them brittle and at risk for rupture.

Do you suffer from back pain? If so, what treatments have worked best for you? We welcome your questions and feedback in the comments section below.

Share|

Read More | (0)

Act Now to Prevent Joint Pain Later

June 26th, 2012 By Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center

Prevent Joint PainAnyone putting their little toe in the waters of middle age has a glimmer of what joint pain feels like. It’s no fun. But there are things you can do to ease joint pain now and prevent future joint pain. Here are some joint-smart steps you can put into action:

Maintain a health weight. Carrying extra weight can cause significant joint pain over time, particularly in weight-bearing areas like the hips, knees, and ankles. Prevent problems now and down the line by maintaining a healthy weight. Talk with your doctor if you need help starting a weight-loss program.

Get regular exercise. Low-impact activities such as walking or hiking, swimming, and stationary cycling are great options for building bone-supporting muscles, keeping weight down, and improving joint mobility. Just 30 minutes a day can have a real impact on your long-term health and comfort. Exercise has been proved to ease arthritis pain, as well.

Keep your skeletal system strong. Help prevent osteoporosis (more common in women) by getting plenty of calcium, which you’ll find in dairy products and leafy green vegetables or in supplement form. Calcium builds bone density and makes bones less susceptible to arthritis. Consider reducing or eliminating caffeine, as it can weaken your bone structure.

Eat more fish. Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce joint pain and stiffness in people suffering from arthritis. If you don’t love fish, take fish oil supplements instead.

Get plenty of vitamin C. Vitamin C may help speed the recovery of damaged muscles by repairing tissues, easing joint pain. These 10 fruits and veggies are rich in vitamin C: oranges, guava, red bell peppers, kiwi, grapefruit, vegetable juice cocktail, oranges, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, and cantaloupe.

Wear sensible shoes. OK. We know that one’s no fun. But joint pain is a high price to pay for fashion. Eschew the high heels and look instead for flexible shoes that provide support. You want the shoe to bend with your foot as you walk. These days, there are plenty of good-looking shoes out there that will be kind to your feet and joints.

Already experiencing joint pain? If you put our suggestions to the test and still feel the pain, make an appointment to see us at the Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center.

Do you suffer from joint pain? If so, what treatments have worked best for you? We welcome your questions and feedback in the comments section below.

Share|

Read More | (0)

Could Yoga be the Solution for Your Chronic Low Back Pain?

November 28th, 2011 By Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center

Yoga for Low Back PainIn September, we shared with you some resources on the health benefits of practicing yoga, in honor of Yoga Awareness Month. Make sure to check that resource out, as a new study has recently found that participating in weekly yoga classes is equally as effective as regular deep stretching in relieving symptoms of low back pain. The study, from which findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, followed over 200 people for up to 26 weeks, making it the largest study focusing on yoga’s effect on low back pain.

Of the 228 followed, subjects participated in weekly classes in which they practiced either yoga or deep stretching and also practiced the same thing at home, with the help of instructional CDs 7 DVDs for 20 minutes, at least 3 days a week. The outcomes for the group who practiced yoga and the group who practiced deep stretching in classes were compared to a “control” group, whose members were given a book with tips and best practices for relieving chronic low back pain. The results of the study showed that both yoga and deep stretching were equally as useful in easing or relieving low back pain, as long as either the yoga or stretching were practiced regularly.

Couple these results with the fact that 80% of people will suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives with the fact that Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on low back pain 1 and it becomes obvious that yoga could evolve to be an easy and fairly cost-effective method for alleviating chronic low back pain with potential to be as beneficial for improving pain as it is for reducing stress and improving flexibility and breathing.

Has your low back pain been improved by practicing yoga? If so, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Share|

Read More | (0)