back pain

A service called neuromonitoring can cut the risk of nerve damage during delicate surgery. But some patients are receiving large bills they didn't expect.

Our most-read articles gave helpful advice — like how to sit without hurting your back — shocking news and a glimpse of history. And there was one story about — what else? — goats!

Chair design shifted dramatically about a hundred years ago, and it hasn't been good for our backs. Our daily lives are filled with chairs that make our posture worse. Luckily, we've got hacks.

There's a growing consensus among pain specialists that lifestyle changes can be more effective than drugs in managing chronic pain. But the alternative approach requires patient commitment.

Nonopioid treatments for common conditions that leave people in chronic pain fare as well as opioid treatments and have fewer risks and side effects.

No, we're not talking about squatting. We're talking about a way to bend over that has nearly disappeared in our culture. And it could be one reason why back pain is so common in the U.S.

Two-thirds of employed adults stand at work. Many also do physical labor. Among the most demanding occupations: construction, food service and farming.

As a result of the opioid epidemic, doctors are being urged to turn to other medications to treat chronic pain. But that can be a challenge for people who have used opioid painkillers for years.

A yoga class designed specifically for lower back pain can be as effective as physical therapy in easing pain, the study says. The class and teacher manuals are available online, for free.

More than half of Americans suffer lower back pain each year, the latest NPR/Truven Health Analytics survey finds. And they're often not going for treatments recommended as safest and most effective.

Physically manipulating the spine appears to offer a modestly effective alternative to medication for lower back pain, according to a new evaluation of scientific studies.

New guidelines encourage doctors to tell patients to try non-drug therapies for acute lower back pain first.