Back Pain News and Research

Latest Back Pain News and Research

MRI scans emerge as vital resource in treatment of back pain

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.

5 Jan 2009

Magnetic resonance imaging emerges as vital resource in back pain treatment

1 Jan 2009

Cost effectiveness of spinal surgery examined

Back pain affects more than 80 percent of people and costs more than $100 billion annually in the U.S. But is the surgery cost effective?

30 Dec 2008

Advice for 5 million Aussies suffering with back pain - what's good for the heart is good for the back!

According to a new study by Australian researchers as many as 5 million Australians have recurring back problems.

17 Dec 2008

Five million Australians hampered by back pain

A new study by researchers at The George Institute for International Health has found that back pain is a reoccurring problem for five million Australians.

16 Dec 2008

Lumbar fusion shows long-term benefits

Lumbar fusion is becoming an increasingly common treatment for low-back pain, but its long-term effects are relatively unknown. A doctoral thesis from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet now shows that the long-term effects are superior to those of physiotherapy.

15 Dec 2008

Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) shown to delay new episodes of depression

New data suggest that Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) 60 mg to 120 mg once daily delayed the onset of a new episode of depression in patients who had previously responded to the medication and who had recurrent depressive disorder, defined in the study as those patients who experienced at least three depressive episodes in the previous five years, compared with placebo (p < .001).

14 Dec 2008

Zometa (zoledronic acid) shown to enhance chemotherapy in reducing breast tumor size

New data released demonstrates that the addition of Zometa (zoledronic acid) injection to standard chemotherapy before breast cancer surgery reduces the size of breast tumors more effectively than chemotherapy alone in women with early-stage disease.

14 Dec 2008

Weights better than aerobic training for back pain

People who use weight training to ease their lower back pain are better off than those who choose other forms of exercise such as jogging, according to a University of Alberta study.

12 Dec 2008

12 percent of U.S. children use alternative medicine

Approximately 38 percent of adults in the United States aged 18 years and over and nearly 12 percent of U.S. children aged 17 years and under use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to a new nationwide government survey.

10 Dec 2008

Risk factors for chronic disability after back injury

A wide range of factors-including variables related to health care and job characteristics-affect the risk of long-term disability for workers with back injuries, reports a study in the December 1 issue of Spine.

3 Dec 2008

Eli Lilly withdraws application for additional U.S. indication for Cymbalta for chronic pain

Eli Lilly and Company has withdrawn its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for the management of chronic pain.

30 Nov 2008

FDA approves tapentadol immediate-release tablets for pain in adults

Millions of Americans with moderate to severe acute pain and their health-care providers will soon have a new treatment option.

21 Nov 2008

Expectations drive patient preferences for treatment of spine problems

For patients with low back pain caused by a herniated disk, expectations of good results without surgery are the main factor affecting the preference for nonsurgical treatment, reports a study in the November 15 issue of Spine.

17 Nov 2008

First-ever international guidelines for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis

Rheumatologists, dermatologists, and patient advocates have come together to publish the first-ever international guidelines for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, a disease that mainly affects people who have psoriasis but also some people without it.

26 Oct 2008

Hand, foot and mouth disease in China kills 3 children and sickens over 100 others

In the latest health scare in China three children have died from hand, foot and mouth disease and another 110 are sick - this is China's second outbreak of the virus this year in young children.

20 Oct 2008

Carbon nanotube coating improves electrical stimulation therapy used for Parkinson's, depression, chronic pain

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have designed a way to improve electrical stimulation of nerves by outfitting electrodes with the latest in chemically engineered fashion: a coating of basic black, formed from carbon nanotubes.

16 Sep 2008

FDA approves Gamunex for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has approved an immune globulin product called Gamunex for the treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), a rare autoimmune disorder characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms.

14 Sep 2008

Depression drug Cymbalta eases chronic back pain

A drug used to treat depression has been found to also be effective in reducing chronic low back pain.

28 Aug 2008

New imaging technology provides early diagnosis of osteoarthritis

A newly developed medical imaging technology may provide doctors with a long-awaited test for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA), scientists from New York reported today at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

20 Aug 2008