Back pain is a massive problem which is badly treated

Why are better approaches to helping sufferers so slow to spread?

 Expert Advice for Treating Back Pain at Home

A tense neck that refuses to turn. A lower back that throbs every time you bend over. Super-tight shoulders that seem stuck in a shrug. If any of these common symptoms of back pain sound familiar, you’re probably eager for relief. Thankfully, there are myriad tools you can use at home that may alleviate your discomfort.

 Got neck and back pain? Break up your work day with these 5 exercises for relief

To fix the problem, you might have gotten advice to focus on posture or ergonomics, but exercise research points to another strategy as well – taking short spurts of movement throughout the day to release tension and stress in the body.

 People Spend Billions On Back Pain. This Expert Believes There's A Simple Fix

Back pain is among the most common health complaints made by adults. But studies indicate that the problem may originate not in our back, but in how our feet evolved. Can we change the way we walk to safeguard our backs and live pain-free?

 Six Exercises to Avoid Neck and Back Pain

A former Olympic medalist and world champion cyclist shares a maintenance routine to keep aches at bay.

 Ten tips for looking after your back while you’re sitting down

The key message is that regular movement of any kind is important for your health – even when you are sitting down.

 Why Back Pain Is Nearly Non-Existent In Some Populations

Most Americans will, at some point, suffer back pain, but there are a few cultures where back pain hardly exists. (This piece originally aired on June 8, 2015 on Morning Edition.)

 Working From Home Is Taking a Toll on Our Backs and Necks

Weeks of poor ergonomics on the bed or sofa have led to backaches, neck pain and headaches.

Alternative Therapies for Back Pain

Your back is killing you. You've gone to your internist. You've gotten a diagnosis and possibly medications and an injection. Still it hurts. You're ready to try just about anything. Alternative therapies are effective and can often be used in conjunction with conventional medical treatments.

Back Pain During Pregnancy

Back pain or discomfort is common during pregnancy and should be expected to some degree by most women. Back pain may be experienced during any point of your pregnancy; however, it most commonly occurs later in the pregnancy as the weight of the baby increases. Back pain can disrupt your daily routine or interfere with a good night of sleep. The good news is there are steps you can take to manage the back pain that you experience.

Doctors finally admit drugs can’t fix most cases of back pain

The American College of Physicians now recommends heat therapy and yoga ahead of pain meds for low back pain.

For Bad Backs, It May Be Time to Rethink Biases About Chiropractors

Most back pain resolves over time, so interventions that focus on relief of symptoms and allow the body to heal are ideal. Many of these can be nonpharmacological in nature, like the work done by chiropractors or physical therapists.

Mix and Match Several Alternative Therapies to Ease Back Pain

Non-invasive alternative therapies are often compatible with conventional treatments for back pain, have a relatively lower cost and can sometimes be done at home. Trying one or a combination (medicine, yoga and pilates, for instance) may significantly reduce pain. Remember, alternative therapies are not a substitute for medical diagnosis and treatment, and if used improperly they may cause injury. Space limitations prevent discussion of all therapies available for treating back pain, so here are just five of my favorites.

No Drugs for Back Pain, New Guidelines Say

The American College of Physicians says to use natural and alternative therapies first.

Pain In The Back? Exercise May Help You Learn Not To Feel It

More than 1 in 4 adult Americans say they've recently suffered a bout of low-back pain. It's one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor. And more and more people are being treated for it. America spends more than $80 billion a year on back pain treatments. But many specialists say less treatment is usually more effective. In fact, there's evidence that many standard treatments for back pain — surgery, spinal injections and painkillers — are often ineffective and can even worsen and prolong the problem.

Piriformis Syndrome: A Pain In The...Back

Piriformis syndrome produces an intense, sometimes crippling pain deep in the butt cheek, usually just on one side. It's caused by jogging for miles, marathon sessions with the computer and with long commutes in a car. Many internists, neurologists and pain specialists aren't very familiar with this problem, and mistakenly think the source of the pain is in spinal nerve roots.

The $100 billion per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

Anyone who has endured back pain knows it is an erratic dictator. It takes hold of your psyche, demanding your attention and devotion before all else—before you can plan a hike, return to a work routine, pick up your child for a hug. So when someone offers to make that dictator disappear, it’s hard to resist—no matter what the price.

The Back Pain Most Surgeons Won't Find

Studies have found that 20 to 25% of all chronic lower back pain comes not from the spine but from the sacroliac, or SI, joint, which bears and transfers weight and movement from your upper body to your legs. When the ligaments wear out and the SI joint becomes unstable, it can generate a similar kind of sharp back pain -- or sciatica-like pain down your leg -- as a ruptured disc.

The Posture Guru of Silicon Valley

Esther Gokhale teaches techniques for maintaining better posture. She says her advice can relieve nagging back pain.

What's Behind Your Back Pain?

Pain in your back or neck and shoulder is about as common as sun in San Diego–odds are around 90%, to be exact. It can come from damage to soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, or tendons; bones in the back and neck; and the disks that support and protect the vertebrae in the spine. The first step in treating your pain correctly and effectively is to figure out what's causing the aching, throbbing, or stabbing sensations.

When Do Epidural Steroid Injections Work for Back Pain?

There is no conclusive evidence that epidural steroid injections work better for one condition than another; success rates are different for each individual. For those hoping to postpone surgery, injections may provide enough temporary relief.