You may have heard about wearable devices that can nudge you into sitting up straight. But how well do they work, and can they really help alleviate your chronic back pain?

Back pain affects 60-80 percent of the U.S. adults, and undoubtedly poor posture contributes to the problem. Too many of us spend too many hours slouched at our desks and hunched over our phones. Tech companies are developing devices to try to nudge us to sit up straight.

The problem is there don’t seem to be any carefully controlled scientific studies of the effectiveness of these devices. Several journalists have tried them out and...

You’ve heard the saying, “No pain, no gain.” But is it really true? If you’re in pain, shouldn’t you just lie low?

The truth is probably somewhere in between those two ideas.

Exercise is absolutely good for you, and in fact, moving is usually better than lying in bed for most low back pain. But you need to go about your workouts sensibly.

The best way to do that is to start slowly and gradually build up the length and intensity of your workouts. You want to build your body up, not injure it. A good way to start is by simply walking, starting with as little as 5-10 minutes a day and gradually adding time and distance.

If you’ve been inactive, when you first start working out, you may have some achy muscles, especially if you’re doing a lot more than you’re...

June is Migraine and Headache Awareness Month. If you suffer from migraine headaches, you may feel like you don’t need anyone to raise your awareness. But knowing and sharing these facts may help you feel less alone and give your family, friends, and coworkers the information they need to help support you.

1. Migraines are not “just a headache.” They are a serious neurological disorder that can include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and sensitivity to light, sound, and smell, in addition to severe throbbing pain, usually in one side of the head. Some migraine sufferers also experience visual symptoms, called an aura, and tingling or numbness.
2. Nearly 42 million people in the U.S. suffer from head...

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment is a way to use the body’s natural healing powers to treat arthritis and other painful musculoskeletal conditions. It’s been used for osteoarthritis of the knee, shoulder, hip, and spine as well as rotator cuff tears, ACL injury, back and neck injuries, and ligament sprains. 

Blood platelets, which secrete growth factors, can strengthen surrounding tissues, muscles, and ligaments. PRP treatment involves using a concentrated solution of platelets from the patient’s own blood. This means there is less risk of an allergic reaction and no risk of contracting a blood-borne infection from a donor.  

So what exactly happens during a PRP treatment? The whole process takes from 45 to 90...