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Showing posts from May, 2008

Part 3 Causes of Lower back pain

Here, discussed are the uncommon causes of backpain : 1. Paget's disease of bone Paget's disease of the bone is a condition of unknown cause in which the bone formation is out of synchrony with normal bone remodeling. This condition results in abnormally weakened bone and deformity and can cause localized bone pain. Paget's disease is more common in people over the age of 50. Heredity (genetic background) and certain unusual virus infections have been suggested as causes. Thickening of involved bony areas of the lumbar spine can cause the radiating lower extremity pain of sciatica. Paget's disease can be diagnosed on plain x-rays. However, a bone biopsy is occasionally necessary to ensure the accuracy of the diagnosis. Bone scanning is helpful to determine the extent of the disease, which can involve more than one bone area. A blood test, alkaline phosphatase, is useful for diagnosis and monitoring response to therapy. 2. Bleeding or infection in the pelvis

Part 2 of Things to know about lower back pain

6. Congenital bone conditions Congenital causes (existing from birth) of low back pain include scoliosis and spina bifida. Scoliosis is a sideways (lateral) curvature of the spine that can be caused when one lower extremity is shorter than the other ( functional scoliosis) or because of an abnormal design of the spine (structural scoliosis). Children who are significantly affected by structural scoliosis may require treatment with bracing and/or surgery to the spine. Adults infrequently are treated surgically but often benefit by support bracing. 7. Spina bifida Is a birth defect in the bony vertebral arch over the spinal canal, often with absence of the spinous process. This birth defect most commonly affects the lowest lumbar vertebra and the top of the sacrum. Occasionally, there are abnormal tufts of hair on the skin of the involved area. Spina bifida can be a minor bony abnormality without symptoms. However, the condition can also be accompanied by serious nervous abnormalitie

Things to Know about Lower Back Pain Part 1

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As I have been experiencing lower back pai n m ore intensely in the last few days, I thought I would do some rese arch on the subject. Lesson 1 Common Cau ses of Lo wer Back Pain : 1. Lu mbar strain (acute, chronic) It is a stretching injury to the lig aments, tendons, and/or muscles of the low back. The s tretching incident results in microscopic tears of varying d egrees in these tissu es. Lumbar strain is considered one of the most common causes of low ba ck pain. The injury can occur because of overuse, improper use, or traum a. Soft-t issue injury is commo nly classified as "acute" if it has been present for days to wee ks. If t he strain lasts longer than three mont hs, it is referred to as "chronic." Most often oc curs in people in their forti es, but it can happen at any age. The condition is cha racterized by localized discomfort in the low back area with onset after an event that mechanically stressed the lumbar tissues. The s everity of the injury

Anti-cholesterol drugs, what now?

I have been prescribed with a statin drug last year. Fact is that prescription was made by our family physician(FP) and not by my kidney specialist who I regularly consult. The nephrologist was out of the country so I had no choice but to see the FP. Immediately after that briefing from my FP I bought the drug she prescribed. All 30 pcs of them. It cost a lot of money. The drug was veerrryy expensive. When I got home I went to the computer and made my usual googling. This is what I do when in doubt – research or google. Lo and behold. Side effects indicated that taking the drug was outrageously difficult to ignore. It showed that the drug could cause, depression, muscle problems, and may even induce alzheimer’s disease and other kidney related ailments. There was little evidence or none at all that these drugs can reduce the growth of arterial fatty plaques - the hallmark of heart diseases. In other words, people taking this type of medicine receive no benefit at all? Instead, i

Enalapril Maleate possible side effects

This post is being prepared to document the side effects of enalapril maleate, my hypertension maintenance drug. As with all other medications, this type of drug may bring side effects which is thoroughly discussed in this site . USES: This drug belongs to a group of medications called ACE inhibitors . It is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) in adults and children. It works by relaxing blood vessels, causing them to widen. Lowering high blood pressure helps prevent strokes, heart attacks and kidney problems. This medication is also used with other drugs (e.g., "water pills"/diuretics, digoxin ) to treat congestive heart failure . OTHER USES: This medication may also be used to help protect the kidneys from damage due to diabetes. SIDE EFFECTS: You may experience headache , dizziness, light-headedness, weakness, nausea, dry cough or blurred vision as your body adjusts to the medication. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your docto