European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 14, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To your a variety of specialists can help the los Angeles times ust As there is no one cause of Back pain so there is no one specialist who is right for every it .patient/.,�. A. A a a a a a a a. A a a a. Neurologists and neurosurgeons specialize unnerve disorders and spinal injuries. Ortho pudists and orthopaedic surgeons treat diseases and injuries involving Bones Muscles ligaments tendons and  artists also known As physical Medicine doctors. Specialize in the rehabilitation of the muscular skeletal system. Osteopathic physicians focus on the links a Between organs and the muscular skeletal system. There Are Many Allied health professionals who treat. Back disorders. Acupuncturists trained in an ancient chinese Art place wire thin Needles in the skin to relieve pain. Physical therapists licensed practitioners widely used by Ortho pudists and neurosurgeons evaluate Back problems and design Long term treatment plans relying heavily on exercise programs that improve both the spine s strength and its flexibility. Perhaps the most controversial specialist is the a chiropractor. While  swear by them surgeons and physicians have Long been sceptical about the Efficacy and even the safety of spinal manipulation. Especially for patients with major structural abnormalities. Although agreeing that not every Back sufferer can safely Benefit from manipulation of the spine a recent. Study in the British medical journal concluded that for some patients chiropractic treatment was More effective and lasted longer than regular medical treatment. For reasons that Are not entirely Clear  found those who benefited most were patients who had severe pain or had had More than one bout of Back pain. Chiropractic treatment appeared to have the least. Advantage for patients who had had no prior episode of Back  relatively new approach to treating backs is the Quot Back school Quot a. A a modelled after rehabilitation and prevention programs in Volvo motor vehicle factories in Sweden these group classes Are usually taught by University and Hospital physical therapists and Are designed to educate patients about the causes of movement disorders and to train Back patients in proper exercise techniques. One of the advantages of a group class As. Compared with individual treatment is that patients learn tricks from each other. As one specialist said Quot if you be got a bad Back you be got to relearn almost everything you do a How to fold laundry How to get in and out of a car even How. To sit and watch to without wrenching your Back out of  / a j a Quot most people with Back problems do almost everything wrong a said Rob Landell a University of Southern California professor of physical  Bend Over incorrectly. They sit for hours in front of the to with their Heads cocked at a slightly Odd Angle. Years of that Day in and Day out night in and night out and they be got a. Problem. Quot the ones who will get better Are the ones who take an Active role in bringing about permanent changes in their lives. The ones who say to the doctor or the physical therapist Here a my Back. I m going shopping. I la be a Back in an hour Are not the ones who Are going to get. A , a a a a a a a. A a a a a a a a a a a  a a a unfortunately even patients who initially Are. Willing to make changes and adhere to rigorous exercise routines often done to want to keep them up indefinitely Landell said. A a a a.  Quot a lot of patients worry am  to have to do All these things for  of my life to that i simply say of your eyes Are failing you la Wear glasses for the rest of your life wont Youa -. Sitting right incorrect in a slump Bones Point Forward. Incorrect when Back is arched Bones Are lifted off the rear of chair. Correct with head leading up lengthening Torso Bones Point straight Down. Source not a amp who s at risk by Anne c. Roark the los Angeles times tips Hose at High risk for Back injury Are not Only a those who Lead sedentary lives but also those who Are extremely Active. Nurses who lift patients and postal workers who carry heavy packages Are at High risk for Back problems As Are lawyers secretaries and writers who sit at desks All Day. / a. Epidemiological studies have found that americans. Who spend at least half their work hours in an automobile Are three times More Likely than average workers to have Back pain. Travelling sales people and delivery people Are often at  and pregnancy appear to put people at risk. Just As picking up a heavy package can throw a Back out of alignment and cause excruciating pain so can a protruding stomach Force the body s Center of Gravity Forward. A. High heeled shoes More than 1 Inch High seem to have a similar effect throwing the body off balance. Enough to put unnecessary and  Strain on the spine. A. A even smoking has been implicated. A chronic cough has Long been thought to place inordinate stress on the Muscles and ligaments surrounding the spine. Scientists also believe that nicotine might cause biochemical damage to discs which Are Jellyroll like. Tissues that lie Between the vertebrae and function essentially As the spines Shock absorbers. By v a restricting the flow of blood to the spine scientists theorize nicotine cuts off needed oxygen to body. Tissues essentially speeding up the aging process and causing discs to crack and dry up. The Onset of Back problems according to surveys by the National institutes of health tends to occur Between the Ages of 30 and 55. While the risk of Back pain decreases for men after 50, it rises for women largely researchers think because older women Are prone to osteoporosis a loss of Bone density that can weaken the vertebrae. A a. Cultural and racial differences might play a role according to some epidemiological studies american Whites Are More prone to some problems than Are Blacks and eskimos Are 10 times More prone to certain Back  Are caucasians. It while certain individuals might be predisposed to Back problems by an inherited weakness or a malformation of the spine the majority of Back sufferers Quot have brought on the problems themselves Quot said Rob Landell a University of Southern California professor of physical therapy. 1 a a sitting eight hours a Day in a poorly designed chair Riding for hours in a soft seat of a vibrating car cradling. A Telephone receiver in the Crook of the neck or even sleeping on the wrong kind of mattress can cause permanent Back problems. Quot eighty million people in the United states have Back problems Quot Landell said. Quot but there Arentt 80. Million people born with defects it s How we live. Backs Are like credit cards. You Bend them and Bend them the same Way again and again and eventually they  3y 14, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 15