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- Back pain relief with medications and alternative therapies
- Causes and treatment options for osteopenia
It’s the price we pay for evolution: A lifetime of walking, standing, lifting, and twisting causes significant lower back pain in 80% of all adults at some point in their lives. In fact, back pain sends more people to the doctor than any complaint except upper respiratory symptoms.
But back pain isn’t inevitable—and when it does occur, it needn’t be disabling. This area of Johns Hopkins Health Alerts covers a combination of approaches for back pain relief, including a review of the most effective pain-relieving drugs, an assessment of alternative therapies, and explanations of the newest surgical treatments.
Also covered is osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones. About 10 million Americans (8 million women and 2 million men) already have osteoporosis, and 34 million more are at increased risk because of low bone mass—a condition called osteopenia.
Like back pain, osteoporosis can be disabling. But unlike back pain, osteoporosis, which is caused by a reduction in bone mass, is "silent," with no symptoms until fractures occur. We review the causes and diagnostic techniques, the preventive steps that can spare you significant pain and disability, and the very latest treatment options.
Back Pain and Osteoporosis Topics:
List of Commonly Prescribed Osteoporosis Medications, with Patient Information Sheets
Johns Hopkins Weekly Podcasts: Each podcast is a lively discussion of the week's medical news and how it may affect you. Each ten to twelve-minute free program features Rick Lange, M.D., chief of clinical cardiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Elizabeth Tracey, director of the Hopkins Health NewsFeed, a radio news service program at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Johns Hopkins Podcast: Weekly Program, and Archive
