Kaitlyn Wekerle's blog

What is bone cancer?

Bone cancer can form as a malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous) tumor that destroys surrounding bone tissue. Benign tumors are actually more common than malignant tumors, but both compress healthy bone tissue. The only difference is that benign tumors do not destroy bone tissue, do not metastasize (spread), and do not pose any real life threat.

In some cases of bone cancer, it develops from a cancer that has metastasized from another part of the body such as the breast, lung, or prostate. This kind of cancer is called metastatic cancer. Bone cancer that does not spread is less common than cancer that does.

What kinds of bone cancer are there?

The most common types of bone cancer are:

A spinal is a malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous) mass of tissue that grows within or around the spinal cord. When a tumor originates in the spinal cord, it usually spreads resulting in a secondary tumor that can spread cancer to a different part of the spine. Typically, people who have a spinal tumor will feel intense back pain and some neurologic problems. Because the tumor manipulates the regular function of the spine, the nerves in the area become manipulated leading to pain and sometimes paralysis.

As we bring in the New Year we want to also bring awareness to cervical cancer. January, the month where Americans begin their yearlong journey to their resolution, is also Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we often treat patients who suffer from chronic cancer pain. As an effort to raise awareness and give support to cancer research, we want to provide essential information that someone may need to help a friend in need or for their own knowledge.

As chronic pain care becomes more widely accessible and understood, many physicians and researchers alike believe that chronic pain patients should be evaluated for anxiety disorders. Health care providers are becoming more aware of this common occurrence and taking action quickly.

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we believe in offering care to our patients on all levels. Having a close relationship with each patient is one of our main concerns. We are attuned with reactions to treatments and the mood levels throughout the care plan.

A study conducted at a Veterans Medical Center in the Midwest evaluated 250 primary care patients who had moderate to severe chronic joint or back pain for over three months.

It begins in October: an overabundance of candies found sporadically around the house. It continues until the end of the year: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas provide plentiful meals with leftovers for weeks! During these three months, most of us are consuming more sugar than usual. Aside from the obvious weight gain, our bodies may undergo negative sugar effects such as fatigue, stress, irritability, mood swings, difficulty sleeping, and joint pain. Even under a watchful eye of pie, soda, and candy, sugar hides in many foods and drinks that we consume daily.

Don’t let one safety measure of one accident slip by and spoil your winter fun this season. Snowfall and cooler temperatures make for a wonderful stock of winter activities. Ice-skating, skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowball fights; all these activities are tons of fun, but can be extremely dangerous if not approached cautiously.

Southwest Spine and Pain Center wants all of our patients to have fun this winter season. With four locations across Utah, our medical staff is better able to provide winter safety tips to patients all over the state. These three winter sports deserve extra caution this winter season!

The National Program Director for Pain Management for the Veterans Health Administration, Dr. Robert Kerns, says that 50 percent of chronic pain sufferers are depressed. These individuals may experience a sense of loss and a decline in their mood. Normally fun activities will seem uninteresting and not entertaining. Others will have an increased sense of irritability or impatience.

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, our focus is managing pain while also healing other factors of your health. Because depression is so very prevalent in many chronic pain cases, our physicians work with other specialists to ensure you get all the help and care you need.

Holiday cheer fills the crisp air and the snow covers the tops of trees, painting a joyful winter picture. However, cold weather often comes with numerous potential health dangers. Young children, older adults, and the chronically ill may be put into vulnerable positions this winter, and Southwest Spine and Pain Center wants everyone to be prepared. The following information outlines the top three winter health dangers and smart ways to defend and avoid them from affecting you and your family.

The never-ending shopping list on top of the holiday chores is a lot to be responsible for during the holidays. As the days get shorter, our obligations become greater, almost always increasing stress and anxiety. When you add all the holiday stress with your chronic pain or spine condition, its never easy or fun.

Our Southwest Spine and Pain Center medical staff knows the holidays can be stressful and have created an environment of compassion and ease in all of our locations. We want each and every one of our patients to be prepared for every obstacle that comes their ways during their treatment. That is why we have provided a list of essential tips for fighting off holiday stress and depression.

The patients at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are compassionate and motivated people who work effortlessly to manage their pain and live normal lives. As providers of treatment and other interventional therapies, we want our patients to be equipped with all the proper tools to combat pain through any obstacle. Utah is best known for its winter activities. However, these fun adventures can be quickly interrupted when sneaky causes of winter pain arise and make it feel impossible to overcome.

We’ve determined three of the sneakiest causes of winter pain and provided some solutions to help people with chronic pain fight back and have a pain free winter and holiday season.