Tips For Avoiding Recurrence

Tips For Avoiding Recurrence


What You Can Do
What Your Health Care Provider Can Do

If you have had any trouble with your back, you will want to do what you can to avoid a recurrence. Although most people with low back pain improve, the pain returns in about 40 percent of these people within six months. Preventing a recurrence is not always possible. Yet you can do a number of things to reduce the chances that your pain will return. There are also several steps that you can take to manage any ongoing pain.

When you're recovering from back pain, it is usually best to avoid doing too much too soon. Start slow, and gradually do more and more. For example, if you are used to walking two miles a day, you may want to start with half a mile after recovering from an episode of low back pain. Although good posture doesn't guarantee a life free of low back pain (and slouching is not the cause of most back pain), improving your posture after back pain may hasten recovery.

In addition, you should consult with your health care provider. There are several important things that your health care provider can do to help keep your back pain-free.

Remember that the best ways to avoid problems with your lower back are to exercise common sense and treat your back well. Be reassured that if you are among the majority of people destined to have low back pain at some point in life, there are safe and reliable ways to improve your discomfort and reduce the chances that your back pain will come back.


What You Can Do


If you suffer from low back pain, you may want to make the following changes in your life to ensure that your pain is not an ongoing problem.

If you are overweight, lose some pounds. Weight loss may reduce your low back pain and prevent it from returning.


Practice good posture while you are awake and while you are asleep. If you are able to, sleep on your side or on your back with a pillow under your knees.


Wear soft-soled shoes with heels that are less than one and a half inches high.


Quit smoking. At least two studies have suggested an association between smoking and low back pain. (Quitting is a good idea regardless of whether or not quitting reduces back pain!)


Be kind to your back. Reducing the demands you place on your back, such as lightening your purse, briefcase or backpack, can go a long way toward preventing pain.


If you work at a computer terminal all day, proper alignment of the monitor, keyboard, mouse and chair may help to reduce the chances of recurrent low back pain. Use a chair with a firm back, and sit as far back as possible so that the lower back is supported. Sometimes, small measures such as a lumbar support pillow for periods of prolonged sitting can make a big difference. Avoid sitting or standing for extended periods, if possible. For instance, if you have a long plane ride, get up and walk around when allowed.


If you have osteoporosis, doing weight-bearing exercise and taking calcium, vitamin D, estrogen replacement or other bone-building drugs are recommended to reduce your chances of a fracture.


Stretching exercises and a strengthening program for the abdominal muscles, developed by a physical therapist, can be helpful. To avoid back strain, choose swimming, cycling or walking as the exercises of choice.


Lift safely. Always lift from a squatting position, using your hips and your legs to do the heavy work. Sometimes, getting help is the best idea for lifting heavy loads. Avoid simultaneous lifting, twisting and bending movements, and keep the load near your body as you lift it.

Focus on other things. Although low back pain may be all-consuming when severe, mild or chronic symptoms need not be, even if they can't be eliminated. In that case, pursue distracting activities, even as you continue to work with your health-care provider to reduce your pain. Distraction can be a powerful pain reliever.

What Your Health Care Provider Can Do

If your back pain returns, or it if never went away completely, consider having a follow-up visit with your health care provider for a re-evaluation of the problem. Over time, your health care provider may arrive at a new diagnosis or may try a different treatment until one is found that works well for your particular symptoms.

If you are taking drugs to relieve your back pain, monitoring your use of them to be sure they are safe for you is another important reason to have regular medical care. Your health care provider can help you to discontinue your drugs when they are no longer needed or can reduce the dose to the lowest effective amount.

Monitoring your weight, prescribing an exercise program, recommending referrals to specialists and making sure you have no life-threatening cause of back pain are important ways that your health care provider can help you to keep your back pain-free.

Allergy Also called: Hypersensitivity

Allergy

Also called: Hypersensitivity

 

An allergy is a reaction of your immune system to something that does not bother most other people. People who have allergies often are sensitive to more than one thing. Substances that often cause reactions are

Pollen

Dust mites

Mold spores
Pet dander
Food
Insect stings

Medicines

How do you get allergies? Scientists think both genes and the environment have something to do with it. Normally, your immune system fights germs. It is your body's defense system. In most allergic reactions, however, it is responding to a false alarm.

Allergies can cause a runny nose, sneezing, itching, rashes, swelling or asthma. Symptoms vary. Although allergies can make you feel bad, they usually won't kill you. However, a severe reaction called anaphylaxis is life-threatening.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Your Family History

Your Family History

Your family history holds key information about your past and clues to your future health. Many of your physical traits (such as eye color, hair color, and height) are inherited. So, too, are risks for certain genetic conditions and health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. You may have noticed that some of your relatives are healthier and live longer than other relatives. You may also have noticed that some relatives have the same health problems. By collecting your family’s health history, you can learn what health problems you may be at increased risk for in the future and how to reduce your risks. For instance, people at increased risk for heart disease may be able to reduce their risk through not smoking, regular exercise and diet. Finding out your family history can benefit both you and your relatives… and it can be fun too!

How to collect a family history

You can collect your family history by talking to your relatives. Start with your parents if they are living. Older relatives are often good sources of information. Some relatives may not want to share their medical histories or they may not know their family history. However, whatever information you discover will be helpful. Vacations, holidays and family reunions can be good times to collect this information. As each generation ages, important information can be forgotten or lost – so now is the time to start your project! If you are adopted, you may be able to learn some of your family history through the parent(s) that adopted you or from adoption agency records.

Additional Sources of Information
Check whether your family has existing family trees, charts, listings of family members. Information may be recorded in baby books, birthday date books, or a family bible. Medical records are helpful but may be harder to obtain. There are offices in each state that have records of births, marriages and deaths. You can call the "County Clerk" office where you live (look in the "Government" section of the phone book) to find out how to get copies of these records. In addition, there are websites that have helpful resources for putting together family trees that you can find by searching for “genealogy.” It is important to collect accurate information, so verify the medical history whenever possible.
How to record your family history

One way to record a family history is by drawing a family tree called a “pedigree”. Instructions for drawing a family tree can be found by clicking here. You can also create and keep a written list of this information without drawing a pedigree. Either way, begin by writing down the medical and health information on:
Yourself
Your brothers and sisters
Your children
Your parents

Then go back a generation at a time. Include:
Nieces and nephews
Aunts and uncles
Grandparents
Cousins

For each relative, try to write down as many of these items as possible:

Age or date of birth (and, for all family members who have passed on, age at death and cause of death). When the information is unavailable, write down your best guess (for example, “40’s”).

Medical problems such as:

Cancer

Heart disease

Diabetes

Asthma

Mental illness

High blood pressure

Stroke

Kidney disease

Alcoholism

Others

Note the ages at which the conditions occurred. Did Uncle Pete have his heart attack at age 42 or age 88? Did your mother develop diabetes in childhood or as an adult?

Birth defects such as spina bifida, cleft lip, heart defects, others.

Learning problems, mental retardation.

Vision loss/hearing loss at a young age (remember to record the age it began).

For family members with known medical problems, jot down if they smoked, their diet and exercise habits, and if they were overweight. (for example, you could note that your brother John, who had a heart attack at age 40, weighs 300 lbs and smokes 2 packs a day).

After you draw your family tree, above your mother’s side of the family tree write down where her family members came from (for example, England, Germany, Africa etc.); then do the same for your father’s side of the family. This information can be helpful because some genetic health problems occur more often in specific ethnic groups.

What to do after you have completed your family tree

You should keep your family tree in a safe place and update it every couple of years (or update it at a regular family gathering, such as Thanksgiving). You can share a copy with your doctor, who may find it helpful in caring for your health. If you have concerns about your family history, you may wish to see a genetic counselor. To find genetic counselors in your area, contact the National Society of Genetic Counselors at www.nsgc.org; or the American Society of Human Genetics at www.ashg.org. To find more information about the medical conditions present in your family and about support groups, contact the Genetic Alliance at www.geneticalliance.org.

Genetic Counseling

Genetic Counseling

If you are expecting a baby or planning to have a baby, your doctor can run many tests to help assess the health of both you and your baby. Your doctor may also refer you for genetic counseling. Genetic counseling provides information and support to people who have, or may be at risk for, genetic disorders. A genetics professional meets with you

to discuss genetic risks. You may follow up with genetic testing.

There are many reasons to seek genetic counseling. You may consider it if you

Have or are concerned you have an inherited disorder

Are pregnant or planning to be pregnant after age 35

Already have a child with a genetic disorder or birth defect

Have had two or more pregnancy losses or a baby who died

Have had ultrasound or screening tests that suggest a possible problem

Occupational Health

Occupational Health

Occupational health problems occur at work or because of the kind of work you do. These problems can include

Cuts, broken bones, sprains and strains, or amputations

Repetitive motion disorders

Hearing problems caused by exposure to noise

Vision problems or even blindness

Illness caused by breathing, touching or ingesting unsafe substances

Illness caused by exposure to radiation

Exposure to germs in healthcare settings

Good job safety and prevention practices can reduce your risk of these problems. Try to stay fit, reduce stress, set up your work area properly, and use the right equipment and gear.

Neurologic Diseases

Neurologic Diseases

Neurologic diseases are disorders of the brain, spinal cord and nerves throughout your body. Together they control all the workings of the body. When something goes wrong with a part of your nervous system, you can have trouble moving, speaking, swallowing, breathing or learning. You can also have problems with your memory, senses or mood.

There are more than 600 neurologic diseases. Major types include

Diseases caused by faulty genes, such as Huntington's disease and muscular dystrophy

Problems with the way the nervous system develops, such as spina bifida

Degenerative diseases, where nerve cells are damaged or die, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease

Diseases of the blood vessels that supply the brain, such as stroke

Injuries to the spinal cord and brain

Seizure disorders, such as epilepsy

Cancer, such as brain tumors

infections, such as meningitis