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16 Results for search "Backache".

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A construction worker might blame his jackhammer for his sore back. An office worker might chalk up the ache to an uncomfortable chair. Fair enough. But if either person happens to be a smoker, there just might be a different explanation for his or her pain. In recent years, researchers have uncovered a surprising connection between smoking and back pain. In study after study, smokers seem to be m...

Marina Alyea, a certified massage therapist in San Francisco, is familiar with the ravages of back pain. She has worked on people's backs, she said, that were so tight and inflexible that they felt armored. "Often people don't realize how much tension they feel until they're touched," she says. The most typical problem areas are the upper back, neck and shoulders, followed by the lower back -- ac...

We all ask a lot from our backs. We bend, we lift, we slouch -- it's enough to make a back complain. According to the Mayo Clinic, four out of five adults experience back pain at some point in their lives. Two times out of three, injuries to muscles and ligaments in the lower back are to blame. These injuries are painful, but they can also be temporary. With proper care, most people can look forwa...

Some people have strong, flexible back muscles. Others have muscles that could best be described as weak and stiff. Can you guess who's more likely to end up in agony after taking out the trash? While anyone can suffer from back pain, people who get regular exercise have a distinct advantage over everyone else. The strength and flexibility that comes from exercising regularly offers powerful prot...

What is scoliosis? Nobody has a completely straight spine. Even if you sit as stiff as a board, the vertebrae in the middle of your back gently and naturally curve inward. Some people's spines, however, take a different sort of turn. In addition to curving inward, they curve from side to side. This condition is called scoliosis, from the Greek word for crooked, "skoliosis." Most cases of scolios...

Whether you spend your day moving furniture or sitting in an office chair, you're probably no stranger to back pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, four out of five Americans suffer back pain at some point in their lives. It's an expensive proposition, costing the United States an estimated $100 billion a year. Although problems can arise anywhere in the spine, the lower back is Pain Central. Low b...

Back surgery is a booming business. About 500,000 Americans undergo surgery each year for low back problems alone. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, we spend more than $11 billion each year on operations to relieve back pain. Unfortunately, it doesn't always buy relief. For patients with serious structural problems or disease, back operations are often highly successful...

Disks are your spine's shock absorbers, flexible cushions that fit in between vertebrae. When you move your back, the disks absorb the pressure on your spine. They're incredibly strong, but they're subject to wear and tear. As you and your back age, the outer covering of these cushions can wear thin, especially if you strain your back. Eventually, the jelly-like center of one or more disks may sta...

The neck and the lower back lie at opposite ends of the spinal column, but they have much in common. They both support heavy loads, and they both tend to hurt. According to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, roughly 13 percent of American adults suffer from neck pain at any given time. Half of all adults can at least remember a time when their neck felt sore and stiff. Like back pain, n...

How long has it been since someone told you to "sit up straight"? Kids get advice on their posture all the time, but some adults could definitely use a reminder. People who slouch throughout the day can be vulnerable to a wide variety of problems, including back pain. If your back aches, you just might be able to relieve your pain by straightening up your act. How does poor posture cause back pai...

About 1 million people suffer from whiplash injuries each year, usually after being involved in minor fender-benders. Yet for the numerous whiplash cases reported, it can still be difficult for many doctors to diagnose and harder still to pinpoint an effective treatment. Although 90 percent of patients with whiplash injuries get better within a year with little or no treatment, other people appear...

The lower back is a hub for many nerves, including sciatic nerves, the largest nerves in the body. Two sciatic nerves -- each as big around as a finger -- run from the bottom of the spine, through the buttocks, and down each leg. If anything presses against one of the nerves, you will feel the pain of sciatica. Sciatica comes in many different guises. Some people experience a mild pins-and-needle...

Anyone who has spent time with children knows that some of them can bend themselves into positions that defy logic. A teenager may think nothing of dropping into full splits in front of the television. A child with extra flexibility may love impressing her friends by bending her thumb all the way back to her wrist. Dexterity is a good thing. But it can go too far, even in kids. Children and teena...

Eighty percent of Americans will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. One sure way to end up with an aching back is to lift something the wrong way. Do you know how to lift a squirming toddler? How about a heavy package that arrives at your door? Take this quiz and see how much you know about lifting. 1. Before you lift something, you should test to see how heavy it is by pushi...

It all starts when you slip on a sidewalk, try to lift a child, or bend down to pick up a newspaper. But where does it end? According to the Mayo Clinic, four out of five adults suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. The good news is that the pain almost always fades quickly, especially for people who know how to take care of their backs. How much do you know about coping with back pa...

Whether you spend your days lifting furniture or sitting in an office chair, your back is almost certain to complain after a while. Backaches may be extremely common, but they're also widely misunderstood. Take this quiz to find out what you know about your back. 1. With adequate testing, doctors can usually pinpoint the exact source of a person's back pain. True or false? True False 2...