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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Phillipa on May 24, 2011, at 20:16:50
Interesting. Phillipa
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Relieving Back Pain May Help the Brain
Study Shows Link Between Back Pain Relief and Possible Easing of Cognitive Impairments
By Matt McMillen
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD May 18, 2011 -- Chronic lower back pain doesn't just hurt. It also appears to cause thinning of certain regions of the brain, which may lead to cognitive impairments, a study shows.Researchers studying the link between pain and such thinning had hoped that successfully treating back pain would halt that process. Instead, it reversed it. Six months after surgery or spinal injections, a brain region associated with pain -- the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex -- had thickened.
"We thought it would be able to slow down the thinning, but to actually recover was pretty amazing," says study researcher Laura S. Stone, PhD, a neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal.
The study is published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
Slideshow: Back Pain Myths
Brain Testing for Back Pain Patients
Stone and colleagues recruited 18 patients who were seeking treatment for chronic lower back pain, which they had had for at least a year. Prior to treatment, each patient had an MRI to measure cortical brain thickness and to assess brain activity during a simple cognitive test. Fourteen of those patients underwent similar testing half a year later. Their tests were compared to scans of 16 people without back pain."The extent of the thickening was surprising to us," says study co-researcher David A. Seminowicz, PhD, of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. "Every patient who had less pain or decreased disability after treatment showed a thickening in that area."
That area is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which plays an important role in how we perceive pain. While it was the only brain region that showed significant thickening after treatment, several other regions appeared to improve as well.
"There was a trend in a lot of different areas to get thicker," says Seminowicz, who is now planning studies to look at the long-term impact that treating back pain may have on the brain.
Link Between Pain and Brain Function
Pain also puts increased demands on the brain. Patients with lower back pain show an abnormal amount of brain activity when performing the same tasks as those who do not suffer from such discomfort. They often report difficulty concentrating, says Stone. In testing, they show impaired abilities in cognitive tasks and decision making, which may be related to the distracting influence of pain and the demands it puts on the brain.Stone did not measure how well patients perform on such cognitive tests. But her study does show that patients who had undergone successful treatment for back pain had brain activation levels approaching those of healthy people.
While pain appears to be the cause of the thinning, it's not understood exactly how it happens, says Stone.
"Is it cells dying? Or do other things happen? Do the cells shrink? We don't know," she says. "But if we can figure out what causes the thinning and the thickening, we may be able to develop therapies that target that mechanism."
Posted by floatingbridge on May 27, 2011, at 8:51:21
In reply to Releaving Back Pain May Help The Brain, posted by Phillipa on May 24, 2011, at 20:16:50
Thanks Phillipa. It's frustrating to me to know, even if just intuitively that these things, like pain and brain health are directly linked, that treatments so lag behind the research. That's just the way it is, and I understand why (mostly).
As someone who has both depression and back pain, I just want to light emergency flares, you know, like when a car breaks down. No wonder I have difficulty with doctors :(
The Google queen supreme! (That's you.)
Posted by Phillipa on May 27, 2011, at 19:50:42
In reply to Re: Releaving Back Pain May Help The Brain » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on May 27, 2011, at 8:51:21
FB dealing with the same thing right now horrific back pain you know the history and that site for osteo is saying hormones bad and got mine today. I'm in a whirlwind to beat all others of the past now!!!! Love Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on May 27, 2011, at 20:12:38
In reply to Re: Releaving Back Pain May Help The Brain » floatingbridge, posted by Phillipa on May 27, 2011, at 19:50:42
Phillipa, the hormones are said to work against bone retention in your case? I'm confused. Thought minimal amount would help retain bone. But I don't understand hormones for women.
Jeez, explain the dilemma to me again. I am very dense sometimes.
fb
Posted by Phillipa on May 27, 2011, at 22:37:27
In reply to Re: Releaving Back Pain May Help The Brain » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on May 27, 2011, at 20:12:38
FB oh I'm as dense as they come. My understanding is that when hormones go down at menopause time or after age 35 before the density of bones in a lot of women decline. So If declining hormones cause in a lot of cases osteoporosis does it make sense that restoring them to peri-menopausal range would help the bones. This is what I need help understanding. Hormones even thyroid so hard to understand. But in hormones the pharmacitcal ones are horse urine. But bioidentical even though FDA approved are the same molecules as the human body a key fitting a lock? Love Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on May 27, 2011, at 22:49:24
In reply to Re: Releaving Back Pain May Help The Brain » floatingbridge, posted by Phillipa on May 27, 2011, at 22:37:27
Well, a good question. The woman who drew my blood for tsh said she was on synthetic estridol (sp) and is it premerin (sp!!!!) the synthetic progesterone. No testosterone. It's helping her, she said w/o hesitation. But I didn't ask her about osteoporosis (darn!). She felt good. But not too good if you know what I mean.
Btw, I'm scrapping armor and returning to levoxyl and sticking with it. As soon as I can change back w/o inducing a hissy fit.
Posted by Phillipa on May 28, 2011, at 19:50:36
In reply to Re: Releaving Back Pain May Help The Brain » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on May 27, 2011, at 22:49:24
Premarin I couldn't take made me feel horrible. That's the horse urine that was used in the woman's study that said hormones are bad. Testosterone is good for bones, sex (not me). So you don't like the armour did you know that the compounding RX's can compound the T3 to a slow release stopping the upper effect? Still taking the synthoid myself. Who is going to have a hissie fit? Love Phillipa
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