Spinal Stenosis News and Research

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Your spine, or backbone, protects your spinal cord and allows you to stand and bend. Spinal stenosis causes narrowing in your spine. The narrowing can occur at the center of your spine, in the canals branching off your spine and/or between the vertebrae, the bones of the spine. The narrowing puts pressure on your nerves and spinal cord and can cause pain.

NeuroMetrix fourth quarter total revenues decrease to $3.1 million

NeuroMetrix, Inc., a science-based health care company transforming patient care through neurotechnology, today reported business and financial highlights for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2010.

3 Feb 2011

Take charge of your medical tests

Whether you're healthy or ill, there are a variety of medical tests your health care team might recommend for you. A yearly checkup often includes routine tests such as blood sugar and cholesterol levels, vision and hearing assessments, tests for heart functioning and others used to monitor a chronic condition—such as a lung function test for those with asthma.

20 Dec 2010

Early physical therapy associated with fewer subsequent injections, surgery, physician visits: Study

The American Physical Therapy Association is pointing to a new study on low back pain in Medicare patients in its efforts to encourage the newly established Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to promptly launch a demonstration project on direct access to physical therapist services that was recommended in the recent health reform law.

7 Dec 2010

Stem cell treatment may help treat low back pain

Lower back pain affects many people and may be caused by degeneration of the discs between the vertebrae. Treatment for the condition using stem cells may be an alternative to today's surgical procedures. This is the conclusion of a thesis presented at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

28 Nov 2010

Assessment by nurse practitioner satisfies patients with back problems: Study

Ninety-six per cent of patients with back problems were satisfied with the assessment carried out by a specially trained nurse practitioner, according to a study in the December issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

20 Nov 2010

Back pain sufferers get quicker diagnosis and treatment when examined by Nurse Practitioner

Results of a Toronto Western Hospital study show that patients suffering back pain get quicker diagnosis and treatment when a Nurse Practitioner conducts the first examination. Traditionally, patients face long and anxiety-ridden wait times - up to 52 weeks - before an initial examination by a spine surgeon. Results from the year long TWH study showed wait times for patients examined by a Nurse Practitioner were significantly shorter, ranging from 10 to 21 weeks.

18 Nov 2010

BioMarin announces BMN-111 program for treatment of achondroplasia

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. today announced its program for BMN-111, a peptide therapeutic for the treatment of achondroplasia. BioMarin plans to file an IND in the fourth quarter of 2011 and to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial by the first quarter of 2012.

19 Oct 2010

VertiFlex enrolls patients in Superion IDE clinical trial

VertiFlex, Inc., a leading innovator of minimally invasive and motion preserving spinal surgery technologies, today announced that 200 patients have been enrolled in its pivotal IDE clinical trial of the Superion Interspinous Spacer (ISS).

15 Oct 2010

Study compares minimally invasive and open surgeries for lower back pain

Rush University Medical Center is assessing whether minimally invasive surgery to relieve lower back pain differs from open surgery in terms of complication rate, recovery time, outcome and cost.

13 Oct 2010

Medtronic announces U.S. launch of VERTEX SELECT Reconstruction System Posted Screw Module

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the U.S. launch of the VERTEX SELECT® Reconstruction System Posted Screw Module. The announcement was made at the 25th Annual Meeting of the North American Spine Society (NASS) in Orlando, Fla.

6 Oct 2010

CTTC, Spero enter sales agreement for Calmare medical devices

Competitive Technologies, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a sales agreement with Spero Pain Relief Therapy, LLC. Spero, based in St. George, UT, opened its first of 14 planned pain clinics using CTTC's Calmare Pain Therapy medical device last month.

6 Oct 2010

Wenzel Spine receives FDA marketing clearance for VariLift Expandable Interbody Fusion System

Wenzel Spine, Inc., a medical device company focused on offering less invasive, stand-alone alternatives to traditional spinal fusion, today announced they have received 510K clearance to market the VariLift Expandable Interbody Fusion System.

30 Sep 2010

Endoscopic laser spine procedures replace traditional open back surgery

The Bonati Spine Institute, the leading center for the patented Bonati Spine Procedures for minimally invasive laser spine surgery, supports recent studies by highly respected organizations such as the Journal of the America Board of Family Medicine and Consumer Reports reporting an unnecessary growth in tests and treatments targeting back pain.

16 Sep 2010

CTTC's Calmare therapy effective against pain associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

Competitive Technologies, Inc. announced today the publication of the detailed results from a study that shows the successful treatment of patients suffering from pain associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) using CTTC's Calmare® Pain Therapy Treatment

9 Sep 2010

MRCC deploys CTT's Calmare Pain Therapy Treatment medical device

Competitive Technologies, Inc. announced that McKinney Regional Cancer Care Center, a private physician oncology practice based in McKinney, TX, is the first cancer center in Texas treating with CTT's Calmare Pain Therapy Treatment medical device. Patients suffering from pain related to cancer are being treated under the direction of medical oncologist Dennis Birenbaum, M.D.

3 Aug 2010

VertiFlex enrolls 150 patients in Superion Interspinous Spacer IDE clinical trial

VertiFlex, Inc., a leading innovator of minimally invasive and motion preserving spinal surgery technologies, today announced that 150 patients have been enrolled in its pivotal IDE clinical trial of the Superion Interspinous Spacer (ISS).

3 Aug 2010

Commonwealth Pain Specialists offers treatment with CTT's Calmare Pain Therapy device

Competitive Technologies, Inc. announced today that Commonwealth Pain Specialists, the premier pain management center in Richmond and Central Virginia, is treating patients suffering from chronic, intense neuropathic pain using CTT's Calmare® Pain Therapy medical device.

31 Jul 2010

Study shows estrogen stabilization may protect women from brain aneurysms risk

Results from a retrospective, case-control study presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) 7th Annual Meeting could have significant implications for women at risk of brain aneurysms as data shows that oral contraceptives (OC) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may yield the additional benefit of protecting against the formation and/or rupture of brain aneurysms – balloon-like sacks that form in a weakened artery wall and, upon bursting, can cause severe disability or death.

31 Jul 2010

Applied Spine Technologies receives U.S. Patent for stabilization device with travel-limiting functionality

Applied Spine Technologies, a medical device company focused on motion preservation of the lumbar spine, received a Notice of Allowance on July 12, 2010 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. To be clinically useful, a dynamic stabilization device needs to allow the spine to move, but not move excessively.

22 Jul 2010

Vertos Medical announces 12-week data from MiDAS I clinical study for lumbar spinal stenosis

Medical device company Vertos Medical Inc. has announced the unveiling of 12-week clinical data from its prospective, 75-patient MiDAS I (mild Decompression Alternative to open Surgery) study that further validate the safety and efficacy of mild for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Consistent with the positive six-week study results released in March and May, the new MiDAS I data demonstrate that mild patients continued to experience statistically significant improvement in pain, physical function and mobility 12 weeks following treatment.

20 Jul 2010