Say Goodbye to Back Pain

• Diagnostic tests and what they mean
  
  
• Key questions to ask your doctor
  
  
• Medical and surgical options from nerve blocks to vertebroplasty
  
  
• Exercises and lifestyle changes for pain relief and prevention
  
  
• Physical therapy
  
  
• Prescription drugs
  
  
• And much more

• Understanding How Your Back Works
  
• Spinal Bones: Vertebrae
  
• Spinal Joints: Facets
  
• Spinal Disks
  
• The Sacrum and Coccyx
  
• The Spinal Cord and Spinal Canal
  
• Spinal Ligaments
  
• Back Muscles
  
• Spinal Wear and Tear and Back Pain
  
• Medical Causes of Back Pain
  
• Key Points
  

• Why a Good Diagnosis Is Hard to Find
  
• The Complications of Chronic Back Pain
  
• Referred Pain: The Cause Is Not Always Near the Effect
  
• Test-Negative Pain: When the Cause Can't Be Seen
  
• The Initial Physical Examination
  
• Key Points
  

• Will Pictures Tell the Story? What to Know about Diagnostic Tests
  
• Conventional X-rays
  
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
  
• Computed Axial Tomography (CT)
  
• Myelogram
  
• Discogram
  
• Electromyogram (EMG)
  
• Diagnostic Nerve Blocks
  
• Bone-Density Tests
  
• Bone Scan
  
• Laboratory Tests
  
• Key Points
  

• Finding the Doctor Who Can Really Help You
  
• Shopping for a Doctor
  
• Physicians Who Treat Back Pain
  
• Interviewing Potential Doctors
  
• What You Should Know about Pain Specialists
  
• Key Points
  

• How to Get and Pay for the Best Treatment for Back Pain
  
• Do Your Homework
  
• Getting the Most from Your Health-Insurance Plan
  
• Key Points
  

• Muscle Injuries and Myofascial Back Pain
  
• Diagnosing and Treating Back Muscle Injuries
  
• Myofascial Pain
  
• Treating Myofascial Pain
  
• Gluteus Maximus Syndrome
  
• Piriformis Syndrome
  
• Sciatic-Nerve Entrapment
  
• Key Points
  

• Facet Syndrome: Painful Spinal Joints
  
• Diagnosing Facet Pain
  
• Treating Facet Pain
  
• Key Points
  

• Chronic Whiplash Pain
  
• Symptoms of Whiplash
  
• The Difficulty of Diagnosing Whiplash
  
• Treating Acute Cervical Whiplash Pain
  
• Treating Chronic Pain or Late Whiplash Syndrome
  
• Key Points
  

• Pain from Spinal-Disk Herniation
  
• Diagnosing Nerve Pain from Disk Herniation
  
• Treating Pain from Cervical-Disk Herniations
  
• Treating Pain from Lumbar-Disk Herniations
  
• Lifestyle Changes
  
• Surgery for Disk Herniation
  
• Key Points
  

• Discogenic Back Pain
  
• Diagnosing Discogenic Pain
  
• Conservative Treatment of Discogenic Pain
  
• When to Consider Surgery
  
• Key Points
  

• Spinal Slippage and Instability: Spondylolisthesis and Spondylolysis
  
• Diagnosing Spinal Slippage and Other Problems
  
• Treating Spondylolysis and Spinal Slippage
  
• Surgery
  
• Key Points
  

• Spinal-Canal Narrowing: Stenosis
  
• Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
  
• Stenosis in the Upper Back and Neck
  
• Diagnosing Spinal Stenosis
  
• Treating Spinal Stenosis without Surgery
  
• When Surgery Is Necessary
  
• Key Points
  

• Osteoporosis of the Spine
  
• Diagnosing Osteoporosis
  
• Treating Spinal Compression Fractures without Surgery
  
• Treating Osteoporosis by Halting Bone Loss
  
• Weight-Bearing Exercise
  
• Key Points
  

• Benign and Malignant Spinal Tumors and Cancer Pain
  
• Tumors of the Spinal Column
  
• Back Pain from Metastasized Cancer
  
• Treating Back Pain from Metastasized Cancer
  
• When Back Pain Is Caused by Cancer
  
• Treatment
  
• Key Points
  

• Recognizing and Treating Other Causes of Back Pain
  
• Fibromyalgia
  
• Inflammatory Diseases of the Spine
  
• Coccydynia
  
• Infection
  
• Vascular Abnormalities
  
• Scoliosis
  
• Pregnancy and Menstruation
  
• Key Points
  

• Physical Therapy and Exercise
  
• Using Physical Therapy Effectively
  
• Stretching and Strengthening Your Back Muscles
  
• TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)
  
• Aerobics for Endurance and Stamina
  
• Key Points
  

• The Challenge of Finding the Drug -- or Drugs -- That Will Ease Your Back Pain
  
• Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
  
• How to Use NSAIDs Effectively 242
  
• Corticosteroids
  
• Antidepressants
  
• Other Nonnarcotic Drugs
  
• Myths and Truths about Using Narcotics for Back Pain
  
• Drug Tolerance, Dependence, and Addiction
  
• How to Use Narcotics Effectively
  
• Balancing Relief and Side Effects
  
• Key Points
  

• Radiofrequency Lesioning and Other Interventional Treatment for Back Pain
  
• Epidural Steroid Injections
  
• Facet and Nerve-Root Blocks
  
• Cutting off the Pain Impulse:Radiofrequency Lesioning
  
• Similar Techniques
  
• Cryoanalgesia
  
• Vertebroplasty
  
• Implantable Devices
  
• Key Points
  

• Treating Back Pain with Surgery
  
• Lumbar Discectomy
  
• Foramenotomy
  
• Laminotomy, Laminectomy, and Partial Facetectomy for Lumbar Stenosis
  
• Spinal Fusion: Approach with Caution
  
• Complications of Back Surgery
  
• Doctors Who Perform Spinal Surgery
  
• Key Points
  

• Eastern Needling and Other Integrative Means of Pain Relief
  
• Acupuncture
  
• Manual Manipulation
  
• Mind-Body Therapies
  
• Key Points
  

• Watch Your Back! How Lifestyle Can Hurt or Help
  
• Avoiding Excess
  
• Warm Up First
  
• Develop a Posturepedic Body
  
• Watch Your Weight
  
• Prevent Recurring Back Pain
  
• Enjoy Painfree Traveling
  

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