The ALS Association has joined a funding consortium of non-profit and private organizations to fund the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas, which was unveiled as the world’s first genome-wide map of the mouse spinal cord, key to the study of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other diseases, disorders and traumatic injuries of the spinal cord. Created by [...]
Alexander technique lessons in combination with an exercise programme offer long-term effective treatment for chronic back pain, according to a study published on BMJ.com today. Back pain causes more disability than almost any other condition in Western societies, but very few effective long-term treatments are available to patients. Previous research shows that the Alexander technique* [...]
Lumbar spine (lower back) surgery is a common treatment for a herniated or “slipped” disk, and patients need to know whether it is better to sit still or get moving during their recovery period. An updated review from the Netherlands suggests that exercise programs starting four to six weeks after the operation could lead to [...]
Is Wall Street to blame for your back pain? If you’ve been suffering from back, neck or shoulder pain lately, much of it could be a direct result of the financial crisis gripping the world, says pain specialist Norman Marcus, M.D., who offers suggestions to help you deal with that pain. They include talking, walking, [...]
Did you know that most cases of back pain can be prevented? What’s more, most cases of back pain go away by themselves – without special prescription drugs, doctor-prescribed physical therapy, and especially without surgery. Here are eight steps you can take to prevent back pain from occurring at all and to help your back [...]
Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CYTX) reported preclinical study results, which demonstrate the potential benefit of adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) for the treatment of damaged intervertebral discs, evidenced by significantly increased disc tissue density and disc-specific extracellular matrix components at 12-months post treatment in a large animal model. The data were presented today at [...]
New Study Shows Manual Physical Therapy and Exercise Produces Significant Improvements in Neck Pain. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging patients with musculoskeletal pain to consider treatment by a physical therapist, in light of a new federal survey showing that more than one-third of American adults and nearly 12 percent of children use [...]
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a growing technology providing an increasing number of clinical benefits when used in the evaluation of back pain according to an article in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. It is predicted that over the next several years, additional technical developments will [...]
The updated results of the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) appeared in the December 1 issue of Spine. This study added 2 additional year on to the previously published 2-year results of research that had found that spine surgery out performs nonsurgical interventions for patients with lumbar disk herniation. Spine surgery does so by [...]
There is no cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder that causes the weakening of muscles and is the leading genetic cause of infant death, but University of Missouri researchers have discovered a new therapeutic target that improves deteriorating skeletal muscle tissue caused by SMA. The new therapy enhanced muscle strength, improved gross [...]
