Connecting Research and Experts with Journalists

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Back surgery provides better long-term outcomes than nonsurgical treatment for patients with moderate to severe sciatica caused by a herniated disk in the lower back.

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A study of how the severed spinal cord heals in rats shows a direct relationship between re-establishment of specific connections between the brain and spinal cord and recovery of hind-leg function.

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Even though x-rays usually aren't needed to diagnose the cause of low back pain, most patients rate them as "very important."

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At least some of the benefits of alternative medicine treatments for low back pain may be related to the patient's expectation that the treatment will work.

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Few of the steroid-containing dietary supplements sold over-the-counter as athletic performance-enhancers actually contain the ingredients and amounts listed on their labels.

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A mass-media public education campaign is effective in correcting common misconceptions about back pain and its treatment, among doctors as well as the public, according to a Australian study.

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For women with benign tumors of the uterus known as fibroids, a nonsurgical procedure to block off the blood vessels supplying the tumors has become a valuable alternative to hysterectomy.

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The risk of disc degeneration in the lower back is not necessary related to back pain, nor to the occupational risk factors--such as heavy lifting--traditionally associated with back pain.

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Carrying backpacks--typically weighing 20 pounds or more--is an important contributor to back pain in schoolchildren.

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Fourth- and fifth-grade children attending a back education program have better back care habits one year later, along with lower rates of back and neck pain.