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Straight
Track #67
Back Pain
Hoey & Farina
1-888-425-1212
This
is the last in the series of three health-related articles first published in
the BMWE Journal (April 2001, Pg. 3
& 8) that we've chosen to share with our readers. We hope you and your family have found this series helpful
and informative.
The North American
Spine Society has designated April as Back to Health Month, their annual
national campaign to increase awareness of back pain and its impact on society.
The facts about
back pain include:
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Eighty
percent of all people experience back problems during their lives.
-
Fourteen
million patients per year are seen for back pain, the second most common
reason for doctor visits.
-
Conditions
related to back pain account for more hospitalizations than any other
musculoskeletal condition - 1.7 million patients are admitted to hospital
annually.
-
The
lumbar spine is affected in more than half of spine injury cases reported by
U.S. hospitals.
-
Twenty-eight
million patients visited outpatient facilities and physician offices with
back or neck problems in 1998.
-
There
are more "work-related" back disorders per 10,000 employees than
any other musculoskeletal condition - 48.7 million back pain injuries result
in days off from work.
"Patients
often think that they have only a sprain or strain; however, if their symptoms
persist or new problems develop, then there can be underlying conditions.
These conditions can include disc disorders, stenosis, sciatica,
spondylosis, fractures, deformities and other problems," said Stanley A.
herring MD, NASS Chairman for Back to Health Month.
To help increase the public's knowledge of back care, eight free spine facts sheets have been created:
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Seven Back Pain Warning Signs
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Know Your Back
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Back Pain Risk Scale
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10 Tips for a Healthy Back
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Exercises for a Healthy Back
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Back Quiz for Women
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Back Pain During Pregnancy
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Strength Training for the Elderly
Each of these fact
sheets may be ordered by sending a stamped, self addressed, business-size
envelope (#10) to the North American Spine Society, 22 Calendar Court, 2nd
Floor, La Grange, IL 60525. NASS asks that you put the name of the fact sheet
you wish to receive on the outside of the envelope; each request must be limited
to four fact sheets per order.
For patients who
have access to the World Wide Web, the spine fact sheets are available on the
NASS Web site at www.spine.org.
Patients can also use the Website when looking for a spine care
specialist in their area. By simply tying in their geographic location or name of the
physician, the site produces a list of one or more of the 2,600 NASS members and
their specialty, whether it is orthopaedics, neurology, physiatry or other
specialty.
NASS is a
nonprofit, multidisciplinary, medical organization committed to advancing spine
care through education, research and advocacy. NASS is comprised of more than
3,100 members from more than so different specialties.
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