Spine-Pain

There are a number of terms that are used to diagnose facet problems:

Facet Arthritis
Facet Joint Syndrome
Facet Disease
Facet Hypertrophy
Degenerative Facet Joints

In general, all of the terms mean pretty much the same thing – arthritis or degeneration of the facet joint.

Causes of Facet Disease

Facet Disease is caused by the cartilage in the joints being worn down as a result of wear and tear, aging, injury or misuse. This type of injury to the spine can be attributed to arthritis of the spine, work, over-use or an accident. Another cause of Facet Disease is spondylolithesis, which is when one vertebra slips forward in relation to an adjacent vertebra, usually in the lumbar spine.

http://www.laserspineinstitute.com/back_problems/facet_disease/

What it is?

All incisions produce scarring, which consists of a repair process by which the cut tissue is replaced by fibrous tissue. Postoperative fibrosis, strictly speaking, corresponds to secondary surgical scarring, but the term may be referred to those cases where excessive scarring is present, that is, the formation of more fibrous tissue than needed. If after a spinal operation this excessive scarring compresses a nerve, it elicits intense pain.

http://www.espalda.org/english/divulgativa/dolor/causas/
alteraciones/fibrosis.asp

Bursitis causes pain and tenderness around the affected bone or tendon. The bursae sacs may swell, often making movement difficult.

Buttocks

Ischiogluteal bursitis causes inflammation of the ischial bursa, which lies between the bottom of the pelvic bone and the overlying gluteus maximus muscle (one side of the buttocks). Inflammation can come from sitting for a long time on a hard surface or from bicycling.

Hip

The iliopsoas bursa is the largest in the body and lies in front of, and deep to, the hip joint. Bursitis here is usually associated with hip problems such as arthritis or injury (especially from running).

Knee

Anserine bursitis: The anserine bursa is fan shaped and lies among 3 of the major tendons at the knee. The name anserine (gooselike) comes from the shape of the swollen bursa. When restrained by the 3 tendons, the bursa looks like a goose’s foot.
This type of bursitis is most often seen in people with arthritis, especially overweight middle-aged women with osteoarthritis

Thigh

The trochanteric bursa, part of the thigh, can be associated trochanteric bursitis, which occurs most frequently in overweight, middle-aged women.

It causes deep, aching hip pain along the side of the hip that may extend into the buttocks or to the side of the knee.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/bursitis/page3_em.htm

In the DVD titled “The Fight Against Pain” it was mentioned Army Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management Initiative.

I found the following which explains the initiative.

ARAPMI staff are focused on finding and implementing the most effective methods of relieving acute pain from combat trauma. Their comprehensive approach makes use of many pain relief techniques, from traditional opioids to continuous nerve blocks and multimodal drug therapy.

The groundbreaking efforts of Buckenmaier and his team, which are funded through the John P. Murtha Neuroscience and Pain Institute, have not gone unnoticed. The group’s work in general, and Buckenmaier in particular, have been recognized by several high-profile media outlets, including WIRED magazine, NPR and an ABC News special report, for which Buckenmaier was interviewed.

http://www.arapmi.org/news1.html

http://www.arapmi.org/

http://www.hjf.org/research/arapmi_web.html

If you suffer from chronic pain and are taking narcotic pain medication and/or anti-depressants,  then you most likely struggle with chronic constipation.

The following is an excerpt from the book titled ‘The Natural Laxative Cookbook’ by Karin Cadwell, Ph.D., R.N. & Edith White, M. Ed.

Certain medications and dietary supplements, such as narcotic pain-killers, anti-depressants, or aluminum-containing antacids can lead to constipation. People who are immobolized after surgery often become constipated.

There are two different types of fiber - soluble and insoluble. Oat bran which lowers the levels of cholesterol is water-soluble fiber. Wheat and rice bran are insoluble; they are not water soluble. They soften the stool and add bulk to it which helps prevent constipation.

Human beings do not have the enzymes needed to break down fiber. As fiber passes through the intestinal system, it attracts and holds water. The result is that the end product of digestion-feces, or stool-is bulkier and softer and more easily passed when it is higher in fiber.

People who eat high-fiber foods have increased peristalsis. Peristalsis refers to the wavelike motions that move food onwards from the time it is swallowed and as it makes its way down the throat, through the stomach, and all along in the digestive tract. Increased peristalsis means tat waste is moved out of the body faster.

The sensation of needing to have a bowel movement comes from the pressure of the weight of waste building up in the colon. This is a direct result of the amount (especially fiber) in the food that was eaten.

The waste of the person on a low-fiber diet remains in the body for a longer time than that of a person on a high-fiber diet and some of the water is reabsorbed.