Managing the Pain of the Lower Back
Doctors like Harvey Finkelstein will tell you that lower back pain is one of the most common forms of pain in the United States today. At some point in almost everyone’s life, lower back pain which interferes with daily functioning will occur. Research shows that lower back pain is the second most frequent neurological illness in the US, with only headaches occurring more frequently. Luckily, most back pain resolves itself in a few days. Unfortunately, there are other cases which take much longer to depart, and there are a few times when the lower back pain can lead to more serious ailments.
Treatment of lower back pain is multi-faceted. The most effective way to deal with lower back pain includes a combination of inflammation-reducing medications, exercises to increase function and strength to the back and an emphasis on future prevention. If, however, there is no spontaneous recovery after about 72 hours of self-care, then a specialist such as Dr. Harvey Finkelstein should be consulted. Such a specialist, with intimate knowledge of the condition and the treatments for it, can be extremely beneficial in relieving the disabling discomfort of lower back pain.
New research which was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of Great Britain has discovered that a person’s perception of pain is altered by what the person who is experiencing the pain is looking at. In what some might believe is counter intuitive, the researchers saw that their subject’s tolerance for pain increased when they watched the implementation of the pain, and the closer their view of the cause of the pain, the better the tolerance. Not being able to see what was happening made the experience of pain feel worse.
Research of this kind can be very useful to pain management specialists such as Dr. Harvey Finkelstein.
Combating General Aches and Pains
If you feel like you are constantly complaining or talking about this pain or that ache, then it might be time to take action. Maybe you – or your partner – have reached breaking point and are just sick of always feeling so lousy. Or maybe someone has recently told you how much better they feel since starting a certain treatment or taking a different approach to life. Whatever it is that has made you get to this point, it sure is a good place to be, or at least a starting point to changing your life for the better.
Dr. Harvey Finkelstein is no stranger to hearing about pain. He receives many visits from patients complaining about general aches and pains. In fact, Finkelstein prides himself on his ability to listen carefully to the ailments of his patients, with sympathy and patience, and thereafter working out the best way to try to help them.
So if you’ve decided you want to take steps to end your pain but you don’t know how, visiting a pain management specialist like Dr. Harvey Finkelstein could be a good first step to start ending your pains for good.
According to the American Headache Society between 30 and almost 80 percent of Americans suffer from tension headaches at one time or another. These types of primary headaches are caused by exhaustion, stress, or sitting all day in one position, such as in front of the computer.
Tension headaches can be mild, sometimes lasting as little as one half hour; to debilitating, in some cases lasting a week. Migraine headaches are often compared to tension headaches, but they are really very different. A migraine has a throbbing, painful sensation usually to just one side of the head, while a tension headache feels more like an intense pressure to both sides of the head.
Dr. Harvey Finkelstein is a specialist in pain management who often deals with the pain associated with primary headaches such as tension headaches and migraines.
Headaches Can Hurt
Almost everyone has experienced the pain associated with headaches at some time in their lives. Since it is so common a complaint, it is beneficial to know a few facts about headaches.
Headaches can be classified into two major categories, primary headaches and secondary headaches.
Primary headaches are head pain which is not derived from any other type of ailment or problem, the problem is the headache itself.
There are several types of primary headaches, tension headaches, migraines and cluster headaches.
Sinus headaches are secondary headaches because they are caused by the pressure in the head which a sinus infection causes. There are many other conditions which can also cause a headache, and if you are not sure what is causing your headache and you have ruled out that the headache is a primary headache; then it is important to have a doctor, such as Dr. Harvey Finkelstein, who is an expert in pain management, check what the cause of the headache may be.
Of great concern to pain management specialists such as Dr.
Harvey Finkelstein MD, is the decision by the FDA this past
Tuesday, January 19, to limit the amount of acetaminophen in
pain medications such as Percocet and Vicodin.
The FDA is concerned that when patients take too much
acetaminophen the health of their livers become compromised.
Therefore the FDA will order the maximum dose of acetaminophen in
pain killers to be 325mg per tablet. The FDA’s long-term goal
is to completely phase out what it believes are “high-dose”
prescription drugs which contain acetaminophen by the end of
the next three years.
Pain specialists like Dr. Harvey Finkelstein, and patients
with chronic pain are worried that the FDA is interfering in
the sacred doctor-patient relationship and interfering with an
individual’s rights to make decisions about the care of his
own body. According to one doctor who is member of the
American Pain Society,
“If these drugs were not available to our patients, there
would be a stampede toward the doctor to try to figure out an
alternative treatment for them because they’re such widely
used drugs.”
The results would be either under-treatment of pain, or
putting patients on even stronger narcotics. Better labeling
of medicines that have acetaminophen is the answer, rather
than making them less available, he affirms.
Back pain, especially lower back pain, is one of the most common medical complaints. However, since there are so many possible causes for the pain it can be highly frustrating both for medical professionals and their patients to deal with. Also, since the pain is experienced only intermittently, given enough time the pain subsides and life can get back to normal.
How can lower back pain be prevented? If you sit at a desk all day in front of a computer like many people do today, it is very important to get up out of your chair at least once in an hour, and take a little stroll around the office. Our bodies, and especially our backs, were simply not designed for the amount of sitting most people do every day. Even just changing positions in the chair can go a long way to helping prevent back pain from developing.
Prevention is always preferable to treatment. However, if back pain does arise and if it is persistent, it is a good idea to consult with a physician who is a specialist in the control and management of pain, including pain of the lower back, such as Dr. Harvey Finkelstein MD.
Controlling the pain of osteoarthritis is one of the ways in which Dr. Harvey Finkelstein MD helps his patients. One of the useful tools in the arsenal against arthritic pain is analgesics. These types of medications, of which acetaminophen is one, help to relieve the pain of arthritis, but not the inflammation or swelling caused by arthritis. Since analgesics usually produce fewer side effects this kind of medication is a good choice if reducing swelling and inflammation is not a major concern.
Arthritis is a common cause of pain in older people. The most common type of arthritis is called osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease. Because the cartilage in the joints is breaking down, the bones begin to rub against each other, causing, stiffness, loss of movement in the joint, and sometimes serious, disabling pain. Dr. Harvey Finkelstein MD works with patients to help manage and control the pain which accompanies arthritis.
In 1973 the International Association for the Study of Pain was founded. This organization is the largest of all the multidisciplinary international associations which studies in depth the issue of pain. The IASP unites scientists, doctors, other health care professionals as well as policy makers who can support and stimulate the study of pain.
A national chapter of the IASP is the American Pain Society. As such the APS works tirelessly to study pain and translate the knowledge they uncover into the improvement of pain relief for patients all over the United States, and through its association with IASP, the world.
Dr. Harvey Finkelstein MD, as a physician connected to the world of pain management, is one of the beneficiaries of the dissemination of vital research and information undertaken and supported by the APS and IASP.
