http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/index.html en-us © 2007 Medletter Associates, LLC. All rights reserved. customerservice@johnshopkinshealthalerts.com webmaster@iproduction.com Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:05:01 CST Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:05:01 CST IPS - www.iproduction.com Here are nine back-strengthening exercises you can do at home -- stretching and flexion exercises to increase flexibility, and extension exercises to strengthen the muscles needed to counteract the force of gravity.Most back pain is due to muscle weakness. Therefore, increased strength is the answer to almost every back problem. If you develop a back problem, chances are good that you will wind up on a regimen of daily stretching and strengthening exercises… http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/1879-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Back Pain and Osteoporosis Glossary derived from The Johns Hopkins White Papers: Back Pain and Osteoporosis. http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/920-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Could the day be coming when a person who complains of back pain be given a psychological assessment in addition to a physical one? The list of potential triggers of back pain is a long one, including such factors as genetic predisposition, congenital malformations, and traumatic injuries. A growing number of studies affirm that the mind-body connection also plays a role in back pain, both in setting off an initial "back pain attack" and in contributing to ongoing chronic pain. http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/878-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Johns Hopkins professor Michele Bellantoni, M.D discusses the importance of taking calcium supplements despite the disappointing results of the Women's Health Initiative trial.Health After 50 has long recommended calcium supplements with vitamin D to help prevent bone loss. Recently, the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a group of large clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, found little to support this recommendation—or did it? While the media was quick to report that calcium supplements don't work, experts at Johns Hopkins caution women to talk to their doctors before they throw out their pills. http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/542-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS When it comes to vitamin D, a few minutes in the sun is all you need, correct? Well, that depends. As it turns out, that is easier said than done for many of us. Draw a rough line across the country from San Francisco to Richmond, Virginia. If you live north of that line, it's impossible to get enough sun exposure during the winter months to maintain adequate blood levels of vitamin D. And even during the summer, you may not be getting enough vitamin D. That's especially true if you spend a great deal of time inside, out of the heat—or, ironically, if you're particularly meticulous about using sunscreen, covering up, and seeking the shade when you're outside. http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/466-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Spinal injections can be an effective nonsurgical treatment for people whose back pain does not improve with medication or physical therapy. In addition, spinal injections are sometimes used in the diagnosis of low back pain. When used for diagnosis, specific areas of the back are temporarily numbed with injections of lidocaine, a local anesthetic. If the patient feels relief, the numbed area is assumed to be the source of the back pain. http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/228-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS If you have persistent or serious back pain, and especially if you are a candidate for surgery, your doctor may order one or more imaging studies to pinpoint or confirm the cause of back pain. These studies, each of which has benefits and limitations, provide a view of the bones and the soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and blood vessels). http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/226-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Osteoporosis occurs when old bone breaks down faster than new bone is formed. Treatments for osteoporosis—such as Fosamax (alendronate), Actonel (risedronate), Evista (raloxifene), and hormone replacement therapy—all slow bone loss by reducing the rate at which bone breaks down. But another way to treat osteoporosis is to stimulate the formation of new bone. Researchers have worked for many years on the development http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/225-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS It is often difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of back pain because so many different structures can be affected. Fortunately, most cases of back pain do not need to have the cause identified and do not require medical attention. Fewer than 5% of people with back pain have a major medical problem that requires either intensive care or surgery.Because about 90% of back pain episodes clear up within six weeks with little or no treatment, people suffering from back pain can safely try self-treatment as long as they http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/129-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Loss of bone mineral density (BMD) that is not severe enough to be considered osteoporosis is referred to as osteopenia. The term comes from the Latin osteo (bone) and the Greek penia (poverty).In osteopenia, as in osteoporosis, bone formation is inadequate to compensate for normal bone loss. Osteopenia is more common in women than in men, typically occurs in people age 50 and over, and osteopenia is considered a risk factor for osteoporosis as well as for fractures. http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/58-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS