General information

Why your back hurts

Most low back pain results from mechanical disorders of the spine related to overuse, such as habitually poor posture, or injury or deformity of a portion of the spine, such as herniated disc. The other 10 to 15 percent of cases are medical, caused by systemic illnesses, such as nerve damage from diabetes or fibromyalgia, and require a more complete evaluation. I refer to this form of back pain as medical low back pain. Read more.

Working with your doctor

Your doctor needs a complete picture of you and your back pain before he or she can get to the bottom of the problem. During the telling of your story and a physical examination, any one fact may be the clue that solves the puzzle of your back pain. In fact, most diagnoses are established during the history portion of the examination. The rest of the process identifies the correct diagnosis from the variety of possibilities developed by your description of your back pain. Read more.

What diagnostics can and cannot tell you

Diagnostic "pictures" have importance only in the context of your current clinical complaints. Any number of abnormalities may appear on the X-rays or MRI, but these results may be of little consequence in explaining and treating the problem that prompted a visit to a new doctor. Read more.

Treatments

My basic therapy for low back and leg pain can work for you as long as your pain is not from a systemic illness. Read more.

Prevention

The concept of prevention does not have a great track record, and this dismal situation is true not only for back pain but for most health issues. It's really quite simple: Healthy people lack motivation to participate in preventive activities. They wait until they have their back attack (or other illness) and then try to prevent a recurrence. Read more.

Sports medicine

In the acute stage of back pain, limiting sports activities is appropriate. Movement is important, but shooting 18 holes is not going to be helpful. Allowing your back to heal will actually allow you to return and stay functional as opposed to going back too soon and having recurrent attacks stretching out your recovery. Read more.

Back pain during pregnancy

Half of all pregnant women develop moderate to severe back pain. Read more.