Monthly Archives: May 2013

Early Physical Therapy Treatment For Back Pain Sufferers

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Back Pain Therapy

Physical Therapy for Back Pain

New evidence suggests that for some people, getting treatment soon after low back pain begins, may be able to prevent chronic back pain in the future. Further, in some cases it may actually turn out to be cheaper to pay a little extra in the short run to get proper physical therapy than to have to deal with the high costs associated with an ongoing condition which could ultimately involve surgery of long term use of pain medication.

Researchers admit that physical therapy might only help a small segment of the population, but, identifying who those people are could have tremendous financial and medical benefits. More research still needs to be done, but given the incredible prevalence of lower back pain any early intervention advancements would be welcome. Of course getting the insurance companies to jump on board for physical therapy early might end up being the really tricky part.

Polymyalgia Rheumatica Muscle Pain Treatment & Symptoms

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Polymyalgia Rheumatica (or PMR) is a relatively common form of muscle pain and stiffness that occurs most frequently in the hips upper back, & neck area. Sufferers are most likely to be afflicted in the morning after waking up but symptoms can appear at any time in the day. Women are twice as likely as men to be afflicted and it occurs most often in older adults.

Although PMR symptoms are not limited to just muscle stiffness. A general feeling of malaise or fatigued, a low grade fever, and even Anemia. Unfortunately there is not one clear cut test to diagnosis this disease, although certain blood tests can help your doctor in making a diagnosis.

Depending on the severity of the pain, nsaid pain relievers may be tried first although quite often the oral steroid prednisone proves to be the most effective treatment in providing symptom relief, generally in just a few days. If you don’t see relief from prednisone, contact your doctor immediately to rule out other possible causes for the muscle pain.

 

Criteria For Total Joint Replacement Surgery

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Knee Replacement Surgery

Knee Replacement Surgery

Researchers in Canada have addressed the issue of what criteria should be used in determining who is most likely to have a positive outcome from total joint replacement surgery. They point out the importance of helping a patient determine when to stop simply trying to minimize the symptoms with pain management and move forward with surgery. As surgery is usually a last resort, if the joints are not too badly damaged or deteriorated and the level of pain is acceptable, surgery and its risks can often be delayed.

The researchers also cast doubt on the high rate of success often cited by manufacturers and doctors involved in this type of surgery. However controlling for other factors such as additional health problems or defining what constitutes a successful outcome could have contributed to the lower rate. Definitely check out the link above to read more, especially if you or a loved one is considering joint replacement surgery.