Medical Questions » Back Problems

Question 1:	I have a narrowed disc on X-rays of my back. What does this mean?
Question 2:	Would an inversion machine help my bad back?
Question 3:	I have had back pain for many years, and I am always taking pain-killing tablets. My doctor wants me to have a laminectomy, which he says will cure my problem. What sort of operation is a laminectomy?
Question 4:	I have had a laminectomy after I was told it was an operation that would help my severe sciatica. After the operation I still cannot walk and I am in severe pain. The neurosurgeon tells me nothing can be done. What would you suggest?
Question 5:	Please tell me all you know about spondylitis.
Question 6:	My doctor has diagnosed sciatica, is this a condition that will go away by itself, or is there anything that will alleviate the pain?
Question 7:	My doctor says my back X-rays show Scheuermann' s disease. What is this? Is it serious?
Question 8:	I am 86 and my backbone is twisting out of shape, it is not very painful, but I look like a pretzel. What can I do to stop this?
Question 9:	I have three young nephews with painful back problems. Two are mechanics and one a concreter. They have seen chiropractors without success. Where should they go and what should they do?
Question 10:	What sort of bed should a person with a bad back sleep on? Are water beds any good?
Question 11:	I have a terrible back pain that the doctors can' t fix. Both my parents died from bowel cancer, and I' m scared that I may have this too. Can bowel cancer cause back pain?
Question 12:	My doctor says my daughter has scoliosis. Can you explain what this really means?
Question 13:	The orthopaedic specialist told me my back pain was caused by a problem with the bones in the back called spondylolisthesis. He wrote the name down for me and tried to explain it, but I couldn' t understand him very well. Can you please tell me what this is?