I found this article on the connection between shingles and back pain interesting, having suffered with shingles myself. I’ve only had the one attack and it didn’t affect my back, thank goodness, but some back pain blog readers may relate to this.
As reported on www.news8000.com, it seems that a lady went to her chiropractor with pain in her upper right shoulder and back. She thought it was related to lower back pain.
However the pain got worse, and a few days later a rash appeared, which was diagnosed as shingles by her doctor, who put her on antiviral medication. This eventually dealt with the rash, but the pain remained.
Apparently I was one of the lucky ones, as one in five of those diagnosed with shingles suffers complications which result in after shingles pain (PHN), resulting from nerve damage caused by the virus.
This pain can be severe, and last for months, even years, with debilitating effects.
As the lady in question says “If you are over 50 and have unexplained pain, ask your doctor if it might be shingles.” The reason being that early diagnosis and treatment can lessen , and even possibly prevent, the development of the virus and lower the risk of PHN.
To read the full story use this link.
Combined Regimen Reduces Lower Back Pain
According to a study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, a regimen of core strengthening exercises was no better than traditional sit-ups for preventing back pain in soldiers.
However, combining both exercise programs, together with a short educational session on back pain strategies did lower the incidence of treatment for back pain.
Reported on the Air Force Medical Website, the prevention of low back pain in this military study involved over 4,000 soldiers. Participants were split into four treatment groups. Core stabilization exercises, core stabilization exercises plus an educational session on back pain coping strategies, traditional lumbar exercises, or traditional lumbar exercises plus the educational session.
Researchers tracked participants incidence of low back pain over two years following the intervention. There was no difference in health care visits for back pain in the groups who received exercise only, however there was a 3 percent decrease in those seeking care for low back pain amongst those who had received the additional education program.
Well, you can make of that what you will. I suppose 3 percent of a large number of military personnel would translate into a considerable cost saving. As for us civilians maybe more education and knowledge about our problems could mean less pain.
Although I suspect most of us who have had back problems for years know pretty well as much as those treating us. If you want to read the full report click here.
Keep Moving to Reduce Back Pain
There’s nothing back pain blog readers won’t know in this article on www.macon.com, but it does no harm to confirm that one of the best ways to combat back pain is to keep moving, exercise and stretch.
I won’t bore you with the details here, it’s a pretty short piece. If you want to read it use this link.
