Carolina Back Institute

How Can Carolina Back Institute Help You Manage Your Pain?

Back pain can come in many forms, but is never easy to deal with. Carolina Back Institute can help you understand various sources of back pain and provide innovative treatment types to help you with the goal of living pain-free. To learn more about back pain causes and treatments, check out these resources.

• This New York Times article describes the science of neurofeedback and the types of conditions it can treat.
• NPR explains how neurofeedback can be used to treat ADHD.
• Learn the definition of neurofeedback with information from the International Society for Neurofeedback & Research.
• You can find out more about the stages of vertebral disc degeneration here.
• Get the basic information about degenerative disc disease from this resource.

Carolina Back Institute is ready to help you diagnose, treat, and manage your back pain, sports injuries, and physical therapy. We staff excellent physicians and therapists who can provide you with the best care available. Call us today at (919) 781-9950 or visit us online to find out more about what we can do for you.

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Breaking Down the Process and Goals of Neurofeedback

Athletes train their bodies with feedback from timers, goals, and coaches, and musicians train their ears with feedback from tuners. Just like these training and feedback loops, the brain can be trained to follow constructive thought patterns with positive and negative feedback. The process of training the brain is known as neurofeedback, and it is gaining attention in the scientific community.

The Process

Neurofeedback connects brain waves with visual or auditory feedback. Electrodes attached to the scalp measure what thought patterns the brain is following. When those patterns align with desired brain activity, the patient is rewarded with visually appealing images and pleasant sounds. As the brain waves deviate from the desired path, those images and sounds become less appealing and then unpleasant. As patients undergo the process repeatedly, they begin to connect their thought patterns and the feedback, and they can gain control over their brains.

The Goals

Neurofeedback is intended to provide patients with the ability to control their psychological and physiological conditions by self-monitoring and retraining their brain’s patterns. Neurofeedback has been used in clinical trials to help treat ADHD, and some ADHD patients who have tried neurofeedback self-report significant improvements. The medical community hopes that neurofeedback will prove effective in treating disorders like depression and anxiety as well. Scientists hope that neurofeedback will be a route that patients can take in an effort to avoid using drugs for various psychological diagnoses because it lacks the physical and mental side-effects that many drugs produce.

If you are interested in learning what neurofeedback can do for your pain issues and psychological conditions, contact the Carolina Back Institute. Our Rehabilitation Psychologist is a certified neurofeedback provider and can help you determine whether neurofeedback is a path that can provide relief for you. We also specialize in back pain, injury, sports medicine, and physical therapy. Call us today at (919) 781-9950 or visit our website to learn how our excellent staff can assist you.

How To Treat Back Spasms

Back spasms can be extremely painful and can prevent the most basic of tasks. When you are subject to this kind of crippling pain, treatment is extremely important. Luckily, there are ways to treat back spasms.

While pinpointing the cause of a back spasm can be difficult, treating it with ice and heat is often a good first response. Pain medication can be effective for some sufferers. If these treatments do not take effect quickly, consulting your physician is a good step. To learn more, watch this short video.

If you are subject to back spasms, the professionals at Carolina Back Institute can help you manage them. We provide chiropractic care as well as sport injury treatment and physical therapy. Call us at (919) 781-9950 or visit our website today.

What Are the 3 Stages of Vertebral Disc Degeneration?

Back pain can stem from many different causes. Some sufferers are born with back issues; others develop them due to age or injury. Degenerative disc disease is a result of aging that manifests more in some people than others. As we age, our vertebral discs lose fluid and can form cracks and tears in their outer membrane. These changes can result in pain and bone spurs. As disc degeneration progresses, it goes through three distinct stages.

• Stage 1: During Stage 1, patients will experience acute back pain that impairs their ability to function. Everyone’s discs degenerate with age, but for some people this process is extremely painful and inhibits movement and function, while others experience no overwhelming symptoms. Usually, degenerative disc disease causes pain in the lower back, but some patients have neck pain or upper back pain.
   
• Stage 2: Counterintuitively, Stage 2 involves an actual slowdown of symptoms. Pain in the affected area becomes intermittent. All of the stages in this degeneration process can progress over the course of many years, so this intermittent back pain may be a recurring symptom for ten or more years, often through the course of middle age.
   
• Stage 3: After the period of intermittent suffering and episodes, the body will eventually find a way to stabilize the affected section of the back. The patient should experience less frequent pain at this point, and may require less treatment and care. Elderly adults (those over 60 years of age) often experience less back pain than adults from ages 30 to 50 because they have reached the less painful Stage 3 of degenerative disc disease.

If you need help managing the pain associated with degenerative disc disease, Carolina Back Institute is an excellent source for back pain care and management. We provide the Raleigh and Cary area with specialized back care, trained physicians, and excellent physical therapists. Call us today at (919) 781-9950 to begin managing your back pain issues.