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Neck Pain and Posture Among orthopedic problems, the prevalence of neck pain is second only to low back pain. Like low back pain, neck pain can arise from trauma, such as motor vehicle accidents, or from micro-trauma. Micro-trauma entails lower level stresses over a relatively long period of time. Postural stress is perhaps the best example of micro-trauma and is an underlying factor in a significant proportion of neck pain complaints seen in physical therapy practice. So how does poor postur...

Low Back Pain Prevention Since low back pain (LBP) is such a common human condition, impacting an estimated 80% of the US population, addressing prevention is a bit challenging. Adding to the challenge is the lack of clear scientific evidence related to the cause of low back pain. However, we can apply what we do know about factors associated with back pain to suggest reasonable steps to either lessen the likelihood of experiencing an initial episode of LBP, or to decrease the chances for recur...

What Causes Low Back Pain?  It is estimated that low back pain will affect up to 80% of Americans some time during their lives. There is no orthopedic condition that has been the subject of more scientific investigation than low back pain (LBP).  Believe it or not, despite all of this research, we struggle to answer the most basic question: want causes LBP? Although there are many specific conditions that can lead to LBP, such as disc herniation, central stenosis, lateral stenosis, f...

Physical Therapists: A Good Option for Back Pain  In case you missed it, there was quite a bit of press surrounding an article recently published by medical researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston about back pain treatment in the U.S. It is one of many studies that have concluded, one way or another, that we are relying too heavily on expensive, invasive, and ultimately ineffective treatments for low back and neck pain. The researchers looked at medical survey ...

Movement and Joint Health  Our joints are designed for movement. Movement, in turn, is essential to functioning and health. So the importance of maintaining healthy joints cannot be overstated, and the best way to maintain joint health is through movement. Although the logic seems circular, these interrelationships are strongly supported by science and research. One way to better understand the relationship between movement and joint health is to explore what happens when joints are immob...