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Zoloft and Neck Pain

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zoloft neck pain

Could your antidepressants be causing your neck pain?

Neck pain and Zoloft (sertraline) can be connected in a number of ways. Sometimes Zoloft may cause neck pain, sometimes it can actually help relieve neck pain, so what can you do if this common antidepressant and anxiety medication appears connected with your neck pain? Read more

Neck Pain and Posture – What's Triggering Your Neck Pain?

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neck posture and pain

Neck pain at work is often due to poor posture... not just bending over backwards for your boss.

Whenever neck pain strikes it is common to think that there is a terrifying underlying cause but, most often, poor posture is the cause of neck pain. Slipping into bad postural habits is all too easy. If you checked your posture right now, chances are you are slouching, hunched over, twisted or otherwise putting excess strain on your neck. Avoiding neck pain is as much about planning and organization as it is avoiding outright injury. Set yourself up for success by taking a good long look at your workplace, living room, and your car, bike, or transit situation and minimize your neck pain triggers now. Read more

Cherries for Neck Pain from Gout

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montmorency cherries for gout and neck pain

Cherries combined with allopurinol reduced gout incidence by some 75% in this study.

Eating cherries reduces the risk of gout attacks, as does drinking cherry extract, according to new research published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism. Gout and neck pain may be connected in some patients, even though the condition is generally thought to affect the toes, hands, or other, more peripheral joints. In the follow-up to this study, 92% of gout attacks reported by patients were in the big toe but the serum build-up of uric acid that causes gout symptoms can lead to uric acid crystals forming in any of the joints. Alcohol, high-purine foods and use of diuretics are all thought to increase the risk of gout, which is also linked to a metabolic issue. Read more

Contaminated Epidural Steroid Injections Lead to Deadly Fungal Meningitis

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New England Compounding Center (NECC) - fungal meningitis outbreak and epidural steroid injections

Contaminated steroids used in epidural steroid injections for neck pain linked to fourteen fungal meningitis deaths so far.

The number of patients now thought exposed to the potentially contaminated methylprednisolone acetate causing an outbreak of deadly fungal meningitis has risen to some 14,000 according to the CDC. Around 12,000 individuals have so far been contacted to explain the risk after they received the potentially contaminated epidural steroid injections for neck pain or a steroid injection into a joint such as the knee, shoulder or ankle. Epidural steroid injections for cervical spinal stenosis are sometimes used to relieve inflammation in pain, although lumbar spinal stenosis injections are more common for back pain as such injections can be problematic at the best of times in the complex area of the cervical spine. Read more

Effective Fibromyalgia Treatment with Electrostimulation Device

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new fibromyalgia treatment to break cycle of pain

RINCE helped more than 75% of patients reduce or eliminate need for pain medications for fibromyalgia.

Researchers from Flint, Michigan, unveiled a new electrostimulation fibromyalgia treatment this week at the American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM) 23rd Annual Clinical Meeting.

The study shows that this new, noninvasive cortical electrostimulation device is effective at reducing fibromyalgia symptoms, with researcher Jeffrey B. Hargrover, PhD, and colleagues explaining how neuroimaging studies to identify areas of abnormal pain processing in patients with fibromyalgia allowed the development of this targeted treatment. Significant benefits were found for those suffering from neck pain, generalized pain, fatigue, dysfunction and sleep disruption from the condition. Read more

Neck Pain After Sleeping

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neck pain after sleeping pillow choice

Proper pillow selection is just one way of reducing the risk of neck pain after sleeping.

Many cases of cervicalgia occur after sleeping and waking with neck pain can really put you in a bad mood and lead to further stress and neck pain. Breaking the vicious cycle means working out the cause of your neck pain, be it your pillow, the open window in the bedroom, alcohol consumption or a spine condition, infection or other physical illness. Read more

Stem Cell Therapy for Degenerative Spine Conditions of the Neck

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Stem cell therapyIf you read the newspaper, watch the news, or listen to the radio, stem cell therapy is likely something that you’ve heard about, but is stem cell science simply confined to the laboratory, or is it actually a phenomenon that could apply to your life and your health? If you suffer from chronic back or neck pain due to degenerative spine conditions, learning more about stem cell research and recent advances in stem cell treatments may help broaden your outlook on the types of therapies that are available to you. Read more

Managing Facet Joint Disease Treatment at Work

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Facet joint disease treatmentIf you are adhering to a facet joint disease treatment regimen prescribed by your doctor, you may be trying a wide range of therapies aimed at reducing back or neck pain and increasing spinal mobility. Some treatments, like applying hot/cold compresses or stretching, can be done at home, while others, like physical therapy or corticosteroid injections, require the supervision of a medical professional.

Although home remedies and those administered by a doctor can help, many struggle to manage facet joint disease treatment at work and experience exacerbated symptoms of back or neck pain in the workplace. Read more

Do Biologics for Rheumatoid Arthritis Increase Cancer Risk? New Analysis Says Not.

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rheumatoid arthritis drugs and cancer

BRMs are used to treat autoimmune disease, like RA.

Patients taking biologic medications to relieve neck pain and other symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis may be relieved to hear that these powerful drugs do not appear to increase the short term risk of cancer, according to a new study.

The comprehensive meta-analysis carried out by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) this week and is expected to allay fears over the possible increased cancer risk in patients with RA who take any of the nine US FDA approved biologic response modifiers, such as abatacept and rituximab. Read more

Can You Get Gout in the Neck?

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neck pain and gout

Uric acid crystals in the neck tissues can cause symptoms of gouty arthritis - but is neck surgery really necessary?

Neck pain has many causes but those with gouty arthritis might wish to talk to their physician about the possible connection between neck pain and gout. Gout can affect the head and neck at any stage of the disease but is usually a symptom in patients who have had gout for a long time.

Primary manifestations of gout in the neck are tophi and cricoarytenoid arthritis and many sufferers notice pain originating from behind the ear, in the jaw, or even deep in the neck causing both pain and altered speech or hoarseness. Where neck pain and gout are connected an MRI can often reveal the location of uric acid deposits, which may require surgical removal. Read more