There has been a flurry of media activity regarding Dr Hanne Albert’s recently published and ground breaking research in the treatment of a subgroup of chronic low back pain patients with antibiotics. All of these patients had demonstrable Modic changes on their MRI scans. In my opinion, Dr Albert’s study – the result of many Read More

A recent breakthrough by colleagues of mine at the University of Southern Denmark has cast new light on a condition afflicting tens of thousands of people, suffering from lower back pain. Having monitored the progress of this research, I am delighted to be a part of this esteemed group of scientists and play such an Read More

On Tuesday 7 May 2013 a press conference was held at the Royal Society of Medicine at which the most ground breaking discovery in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic lower back pain in decades was presented. The research was carried out at the University of Southern Denmark and was led by Dr Hanne Albert, Read More

Most people will have heard that the symptoms of a heart attack include shooting pains down the left arm. This type of pain is being ‘referred’ from the heart, as the heart is the true cause of the pain and not the arm itself. Pain may also be referred from the spine to other areas Read More

Most people are aware that shooting pains down the left arm and pain in the jaw are possible signals of a heart attack, despite the fact that the heart isn’t located near to the jaw or to the left arm within the body. This is an example of referred pain, which is also known as Read More

Low back pain with referred pain can vary widely with regards to severity, intensity, locality and quality. It tends to be achy, dull and migratory (moves around). As opposed to true sciatica it is difficult for patients to pinpoint precisely. It also tends to come and go and often varies in intensity. It can result Read More

Most people have heard that heart attacks can result in referred pain to the jaw, shoulder or the left arm. Referred pain is also known as “reflective pain”. The International Society for the Study of Pain has developed a series of theoretical models which explain how this takes place. Commonly Observed Spinal Pain that Originates Read More

We all know the term – ‘a slipped disc’. However this phrase is a little misleading, as discs don’t really slip at all. To understand what is actually happening we need to look at the composition of the spine in greater detail. Lying between the bones of the spinal column (vertebra), are the discs. These Read More

Discs lie between the bones of the spinal column (vertebra), acting as shock absorbers and helping with movement. Disc injuries are a common cause of back pain – but because they are attached to the vertebra they do not slip – instead they degenerate, tear, bulge, prolapse or herniate. The disc is made of two Read More

An illustration of the entire spinal column can be seen below.   Anyone who suffers from chronic back pain will be keen to know exactly where his or her pain is coming from, and as such, what is causing it. In this day and age, with the advances in medical science, it is hard to Read More