Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) have hand and wrist symptoms that range from tingling and numbness to pain and weakness. Some occupations see more of this disease than others. For example, workers who use vibratory hand tools and those who engage in repetitive flexion motions of the wrist seem to be at greatest risk. [..]
Fibromyalgia
affects 1-3% of the United States population and approximately the same
percentage of the population is affected by chronic fatigue syndrome,
which is a closely related disease. Up to 18 million adults in any given
year report these symptoms, making them a substantial public health
problem. Women seem to be more affected than men.The [..]
Over the past few decades, chronic migraine headaches
have increased dramatically (up ~60%) among the population in the
United States. Most of this increase has occurred among adults younger
than 45 years of age, and women are slightly more affected than men.One
study showed that 80% of women and 70% of men reporting chronic
migraine [..]
Scientists who have studied the architecture of the spine have
concluded that it is meant for walking. This may come as a surprise
since we humans do very little walking these days. Over the millennia,
our lives have moved from days filled with walking and searching for
food to a largely sedentary existence. A good [..]
Whiplash
injuries are a major public health problem. Not only do they cause
significant pain and time off from work and leisure activities, there is
also a general effect on quality of life. A study in the European Spine Journal
compared female patients with whiplash of the neck to patients with low
back pain and [..]
Carpal tunnel
symptoms typically come on slowly. Day after day we are able to type at
the computer with no problem and then one morning a little tingling in
the fingers develops. We shake our hands, stretch the fingers, and try
to go back to the keyboard. But inevitably the tingling continues and
seems to [..]
Fibromyalgia
is a complex disorder. It is complex because different systems of the
body are affected, and treatments need to be both comprehensive and
specific. Fibromyalgia overlaps with other diseases such as chronic
fatigue syndrome, which shares many of its characteristics. The patient
usually has general fatigue, and due to pain, may be impaired in [..]
The head is a large and heavy part of a person. In a child, the head can account for a quarter of their total weight. In the adult, the head weighs 10-14 pounds (about 4.5-6.3 kg), and this load has to be balanced by the strength of the neck muscles. In normal upright posture, there [..]
Like many health conditions, low back pain
is a chronic problem. Patients with low back pain typically suffer on
and off for years. Back pain seems to come on when we overexert or do
something out of the ordinary, such as moving boxes or when returning to
a sport we have not tried since our [..]
The short answer is yes. But let's look at how the neck is injured in whiplash and why a trauma from years earlier can produce symptoms today.Even
in more moderate motor vehicle collisions with substantial car damage,
symptoms rarely come on the day of the injury. When symptoms do occur
immediately, this is a sign [..]