The Back Pain Blog

Archive for November, 2008

Here is some more news on using electrodes implanted in the spine to conrol pain. This method has become increasingly popular for people that have not found relief with surgery and for once it seems that most medical insurance plans will cover this procedure.

A medical breakthrough could help those who’ve already had back surgery beat pain.

Adam Hammond he was a chief warrant officer headed into Army aviation when an afternoon at his favorite hobby dive site called “skydive green-county” turned tragic.

“I was reaching for my toggle to pull out and nothing happened,” he said.

Two years and 18 surgeries later, Hammond is back at his favorite spot hoping to one-day sky-dive again.

“I had a severed aorta, torn femoral artery, open back pelvic wound, broken hip, broken right femur, my vertebrae was severed from my pelvis,” he said.

Hammond’s injuries left him in so much the pain, he could barely walk up until a few months ago when doctors inserted what’s sort of a pain pacemaker that has changed his life.

The Advanced Neuromodulation System device, the EON mini, contains the world’s smallest implantable generator and a ten-year battery.

Doctors place two tiny electrodes in the spine under X-ray guidance and the device applies electrical fields to the spinal cord. 

What makes this system unique however is that it has multiple contacts Hammond can adjust through a programming device.

Pain specialist Dr. Lawrence Zeff said, “You are actually able to have about 63 million different programs or possible combinations of programming on this particular device and that way we are pretty successful in finding at least one program to relieve pain.”

It’s worked so well for Hammond, he now expects to once again have a life with two things he loves: skydiving and a military career.

“This device has saved my career with the army,” he said. “I love my serving my country, plus my brother is in the military and I don’t want him to one up me.”

This pain reducing stimulator is currently used for lower back and leg pain and is covered by most medical insurance plans.

Source: 13wham.com

The Healthy Back Institute is currently offering a Free Trial of Heal N Soothe, all you pay is the postage and handling charges and recieve a 90-count bottle (One Month Supply). For more details please CLICK HERE.

It has been almost one week since my bottle of Heal N Soothe arrived, actually six days to be precise, so I thought I would share with you my experiences so far with this product. My plan was to completely stop taking my usual pain medication which is Panadeine Forte and replace them with the natural Heal N Soothe tablets.

The first thing I can tell you is that it is a relief not to be ‘off with the fairies’ each and every day and for the first time in a long time I find myself thinking a lot clearer and I have a lot more energy and motorvation than before which I think comes from not being drowsy all day.

Having this extra energy and motorvation has not come without it’s problems though and on a couple of occasions I have reached for the Panadeine to ’take the edge’ off my pain. My back pain has been kept under control well but I have heel spurs on both my heels and these have been more noticable since finishing with the Panadeine.

Mind you the first time I had trouble was after spending nearly all day on my feet watching our eldest son go through his first sailing lesson and on the second occasion I spent quite a few hours in the garage working on a project car of mine that has been sitting idle for a long time. These two things are certainly not something that I would have contemplated doing previously so I guess I shouldn’t complain about having sore heels afterwards.

Another thing that I (and the other members of our family) have noticed is the mood swings have gone and I am generally feeling a lot more positive about things. I hadn’t noticed up until now how totally de-motivated I was and previously it was common for me to not achieve anything in a day but now I’m hell bent on achieving something each and every day, even if it is as minor as cleaning up the garage or working in the yard. I was in such a daze before that I didn’t even notice how inactive I was. This would probably explain my 15kg weight gain in the last 12 months!

All in all I’m pretty happy using the Heal N Soothe. I think I will keep some Panadeine around for the times when I do over do things but with a bit of self-control I am sure I won’t be needing too many. As I sit here writing this post I have a smile on my face thinking about what I am going to achieve tomorrow, the coming week and the coming months. As I see it this is one added bonus of the Heal N Soothe, before I was so totally out of it that life was passing me by at an alarming rate and I simply didn’t care. Not any more!!

If you think that Heal N Soothe might help your I urge you to give it a go, you can trial it for free by clicking on the Heal N Soothe bottle at the right in the sidebar. I am really enjoying my new-found interest in life and I think if you can maintain a healthy, positive attitude even when facing the most severe pain it can help to get you through your day and I’m sure this product has done that for me.

The Healthy Back Institute is currently offering a Free Trial of Heal N Soothe, all you pay is the postage and handling charges and recieve a 90-count bottle (One Month Supply). For more details please CLICK HERE.

Craig

Some more news from the wonderful world of modern medicine (sarcasm intended) on providing back pain relief to people with disc problems.

There’s new hope for low back pain. Researchers are injecting a protein into worn out spinal discs to see if it will stimulate the growth of new cartilage, making the disc almost like new again.
 
Spinal Disk Problems
In young, healthy people, the spinal disks have a high water content to help them maintain flexibility and strength. As we age, the disks can gradually lose some of their water content and become less flexible. The affected disks shrink, reducing the space between the vertebrae putting pressure on the nearby spinal nerves. In addition, the tough outer covering can develop tiny cracks or tears. The gel-like contents may seep out and press on the spinal nerves. This is called a herniated disk.

Most herniated disks occur in the low back, in the area below the waist. A patient may experience a sharp, shooting pain (called sciatica) that extends from the buttocks down the back of the leg. Other symptoms may include: weakness, numbness or tingling in the leg, loss of bladder or bowel control or a burning pain centered in the neck.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 4.3 million patients visited physician offices for spinal disk problems in 2005. The risk for degenerative disk disease increases with age. Repetitive strenuous activities, smoking, being overweight, sudden pressure on the back and improper lifting increase the risk for a herniated disk.

Treating Degenerated Disks
Jeff Fischgrund, M.D. is an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon with Beaumont Hospitals in Michigan. He says most people with pain from disk degeneration eventually get better without any treatment. Medications (over the counter or prescription) can reduce pain and inflammation. Physical therapy and/or exercise therapy may also be helpful. When pain persists, doctors may recommend surgery to stop the disk from pressing on the spinal nerves. Part or all of the disk may be removed (called a diskectomy). To restore the separation between the upper and lower vertebrae, tiny metal rods and screws may be placed in the spine to hold the vertebrae apart. Then, small fragments of bone are placed into the disk space. As the bone fragments heal, they form a solid piece of bone that fuses the top and lower vertebrae into a single segment. This is called spinal fusion.

In 2005, more than 325,000 spinal fusions were performed in the U.S. Spinal fusion provides pain relief for about 80 percent of patients who undergo the procedure. Fusion leads to a loss of motion in a very small area of the spine. Most people don’t notice much of a difference in their ability to bend. However, research shows that, over time, spinal fusion can put pressure on the adjacent spinal disks (above and below the affected vertebrae) and can lead to deterioration of those disks.

An Experimental Alternative
Many researchers are looking for another way to treat degenerated disks without having to perform a spinal fusion. At Beaumont Hospitals, investigators are testing an injectable product called Osteogenic Protein 1 (OP-1, also known as recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-7, or rhBMP-7). OP-1 is a laboratory-made liquid version of a protein that’s made by the body. When injected into bone, it stimulates the formation of new bone. Injection into cartilage stimulates growth of new cartilage.

Now doctors are trying injections of OP-1 into degenerated spinal disks. The goal is to see if the treatment will stimulate enough cartilage growth inside the disk to restore the natural height of the disk and take the pressure off the spinal nerves. Doctors use X-rays to confirm the location of the disk and the placement of the needle. Then the OP-1 is injected inside the disk. The injection takes only a few minutes. The patient is monitored for a few hours to make sure there is no reaction to the injection, then sent home. Participants are back to normal activities within 24 to 48 hours.

In animal studies, the treatment restored disk height within 6 weeks. In humans, the OP-1 disk injections are in early phase 1 trials. Half the patients are getting the OP-1 and half are getting a placebo. Fischgrund estimates it may take several months to see an improvement in those who have received the real drug. If the treatment proves to be safe and effective, doctors will start larger, long-term studies of OP-1. Currently, no one knows how long the treatment will last. Fischgrund says it’s possible patients may need to have periodic booster injections of OP-1 to maintain its effects.

AUDIENCE INQUIRY
New studies on the protein may start up in the Spring of 2009. For more information call 248-551-3533.

Source – wtvq.com