If your wife had disc surgery performed through her abdomen, the surgeon had to be sure that he or she doesn't cause any damage to the internal organs.

Although it may seem obvious to operate on the back by the back, looks can be deceiving. In the lower back, for example, right near the bottom, it can be hard to access certain discs. While the surgery is possible, the degree of difficult is such that there could be problems with nearby muscles or discs.

The definition of expert can be problematic. Is it based on skill and experience in one area? Or does it depend on the fact that the clinician is trained to do more than one modality?

Many experts have made the assumption that most back pain is work-related. But studies do show that back pain is just as common among children; nonworking groups; and older, retired folks.

This knowledge has led doctors, researchers, and scientists to rethink their approach to back pain. Maybe back pain is inevitable. Preventing it may not be the best goal. Perhaps more time and money should be spent figuring out how to help people once they have neck or back pain.

Care of the spine is developing rapidly over the years, but it was only as recent as the early 1900s that it was learned there were actual disorders of the spine that differed from one another.

Using this biological module, physicians were able to put a name to the issue and offer treatments. This is also when physicians knew that they could identify certain issues and ascribe them to certain groups of patients.

There's some thought that middle-aged working people are at greatest risk for back pain. But, in fact, according to this study of centenarians (age 100 or more), neck and back pain are just as common at age 20, 40, 60, up to 100-plus.

A survey of Danish 100-year-olds conducted by face-to-face interviews assessed the prevalence of back and neck pain. Such a study was possible since all Danish citizens are required to register with the Danish Civil Registration System.

Although back pain and spinal disease have been around for generations, it has only been in the past 70 years that spinal care has seen major developments in spinal care. This article reviews the history of spinal disease and care, as well as the diagnosis and the implications of treatment.

There may be some people who do try to manipulate the compensation process. They may withhold information or deny a past history of previous accidents. In fact, a recent study from Stanford University showed that more than two-thirds of the patients with neck and/or back pain from a car accident hid such information.

You ask a very important question, especially in light of the fact that studies show a past history of neck or back pain is a strong risk factor for poor outcomes. Depression, drug abuse, and alcoholism are known to be linked with prolonged illness and pain severity.

Likewise, a history of mental health problems is also a risk factor for poor prognosis. Patients with a history of depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder fall into this category.

More and more, people in the Western world are developing upper extremity disorders (UEDs) and/or complaints of shoulder, arms, neck and/or shoulder (CANS).

According to a large survey done in the Netherlands, people who are employed and women tend to have these problems most often. Researchers theorize that this is because many types of work involved repetitive motions, and many of these jobs are done by women.