Back Pain News and Research

Latest Back Pain News and Research

Versatile spinal procedure may offer less muscle damage and quicker recovery times

Medtronic, Inc. has introduced at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) meeting in Orlando the latest advancement in the company’s line of Minimal Access Spinal Technologies (MASTSM), which offer surgeons the ability to treat conditions of the lumbar spine using less-invasive techniques.

3 May 2004

Cymbalta helped patients with depression feel better

Patients treated successfully with 60 mg per day of the investigational antidepressant Cymbalta® (duloxetine hydrochloride), were less likely to have their emotional and physical symptoms of depression return than those who stopped taking medication after beginning to feel better

3 May 2004

Serious allergic reactions in cancer patients require expert intervention

Studies show that up to 35 percent of cancer patients are at risk for an allergic reaction to their cancer therapy. Yet, the same drug causing the reaction could be the drug that best helps to control the disease.

28 Apr 2004

$Untreated postmenopausal women with osteoporosis are at risk for first spinal fracture within one year$

Untreated postmenopausal women with osteoporosis are at risk for first spinal fracture within one year

Results of a new analysis found that, without treatment, one out of 13 postmenopausal osteoporotic women who were initially fracture-free were likely to experience a spinal fracture within one year.

28 Apr 2004

British doctors say 40% or 9 million sick notes are suspect each year

British doctors get 22 million requests for sick-notes every year - and they estimate that nine million of these are suspect, according to a new report.

28 Apr 2004

Back-pain sufferers cost US more than $100 billion annually

Back-pain sufferers in America cost this country more than $100 billion annually in medical bills, disability and lost productivity at work. And 80 percent of Americans will battle back pain at some point in their lives, making it the number two reason for doctor visits, after coughs and other respiratory infections, Newsweek reports.

18 Apr 2004

Weight training women don't lose weight

Weight training offers many benefits, but by itself, it won’t burn enough calories to promote much weight loss, says the April issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Source.

16 Apr 2004

Britain's NHS to buy large volume of mobile MRI scanners

British Health Secretary John Reid today invited bidders to supply the NHS with new, mobile, 'state of the art' MRI scanners and highly qualified staff to help cut waiting times across England. These new scanners will targeted at areas of greatest need. It's expected that they will be operational this summer.

8 Apr 2004

Discovery of gender difference in cartilage cells may help spinal disc repair

When biologist Barbara Boyan discovered science’s first proof of biochemical differences between male and female cartilage cells, she began to question the approaches she and other researchers were taking to study cells. Was their thinking biologically relevant?

30 Mar 2004

Raptiva, 20 percent improvement in an individual's signs and symptoms of arthritis.

Genentech, Inc. and XOMA Ltd. today announced preliminary results of a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase II study with RAPTIVA™ (efalizumab) in 107 patients with psoriatic arthritis. The study did not reach statistical significance at 12 weeks (84 days) for the primary endpoint, ACR 20 response. An ACR 20 response indicates at least a 20 percent improvement in an individual's signs and symptoms of arthritis.

22 Mar 2004