Back pain is a very common problem affecting almost all individuals at some point in their lives. Back pain most commonly affects the lower back although it can be felt anywhere along the spine. An individual may experience aching, tension and stiffness that lasts for only a few days or weeks, or these symptoms may continue for many months or even years.
In most cases, back pain does not have a specific or serious cause and is often referred to as 'non-specific' pain. However, the pain can be triggered or worsened by, for example, a poor sitting or standing posture or bending or lifting incorrectly.
The use of painkillers and keeping active is often sufficient for the condition to resolve within 12 weeks. If back pain lasts longer than this, in which case it is termed chronic pain, an individual should visit their doctor. If the back pain is accompanied by any one of a fever, unexplained weight loss, swelling in the back, chest pain, leg pain, loss of bladder or bowel control, inability to pass urine, or pain that is worse at night, then medical help should be sought immediately. These are termed 'red flag symptoms' and could be a sign of something more serious such as rheumatoid arthritis, a slipped disc or osteoporosis.
People can reduce their chance of developing back pain by engaging in regular exercise, particularly swimming or walking, taking care to bend from the knees and hips rather than the back and maintaining a good posture.
But the condition is less common in men, even though they are more likely to have the 4 genetic variations implicated in heightened risk, suggesting that there may be sex specific causes, say the researchers.
Using artificial intelligence to analyze tens of thousands of X-ray images and genetic sequences, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and New York Genome Center have been able to pinpoint the genes that shape our skeletons, from the width of our shoulders to the length of our legs.
QUT PhD researcher Lauren Ashwood has studied sea anemones' venom makeup extensively, in particular, Telmatactis stephensoni a reef-based sea anemone that can grow from 8 to 10 cm.
According to a new study, women may be facing a higher risk of feeling chronic pain since the condition has a different genetic basis in men and women.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, in collaboration with Dutch scientists, have found that certain metabolites -- small molecules produced by the process of metabolism -- may be predictive indicators for persons at risk for recurrent major depressive disorder.
University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists have discovered that a majority of back-pain patients they tested who were taking opioid painkillers produced anti-opioid antibodies.
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