Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a condition that affects the connective tissues of the body. There are 13 types of EDS, and the most common one is hEDS or hypermobility EDS, which affects approximately 1 of 3,100-5,000 people. EDS can be inherited genetically. The three most common symptoms in people with hEDS are joint hypermobility, […]
Do you have widespread pain? Do you also have allergy symptoms like itching, hives, or wheezing? Did you know that allergy symptoms and bodily pain are both symptoms of a common condition? If any of these questions resonate with you, you could have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), a condition that causes both pain and
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a common condition that can cause widespread pain in the body as well as allergy symptoms like hives, itchy skin, and congestion. MCAS is hard for doctors to diagnose for a few reasons. The main reason is that it is an under researched condition despite its commonality. Doctors are
Why Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is a tricky diagnosis Read Post »
Do you have widespread pain? Do you also have allergy symptoms like itching, hives, or wheezing? You may have gone a long time thinking pain and allergy symptoms were unrelated, but you could have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), a condition that causes both. If you have never heard of MCAS, that’s because MCAS is
Could Your Pain Be Related to Mast Cell Activation Syndrome? Read Post »
Mast cells are important cells in our immune systems that help us fight off sickness, infections, and allergies. Although these cells are vital to protecting our bodies, some peoples’ mast cells can be too active for no good reason. In these cases, the mast cells might cause more harm than good. When Mast Cells are
Are your “allergic symptoms” and pain related to idiopathic Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)? Hives, rashes, itching, problems breathing, and pain in your stomach or other parts of your body may all be related to allergies. Your doctor may have tested you, but did not find what you might be specifically allergic to, for example
How do we test new medicines before they are released to the public? Let’s say for the sake of this example that there’s a new drug that is potentially effective at treating people with muscle pain. The process to test that treatment is called clinical trials. To test the medicine, clinical trials occur in different
Think of some of the ways you sit. Whether taking a ride on the subway, waiting patiently at the doctor’s office, or sitting as a passenger in a car, the way we sit, especially for prolonged periods can have an effect on the pain we may experience in our low back.
Sitting with your legs crossed may be contributing to your back pain Read Post »
There’s nothing better than snuggling into a good book. But are you experiencing back pain while sitting and reading for an extended period? Back pain can often be caused by improper posture. While reading, whether using a physical book or an electronic device, many people experience back pain in the neck and shoulder or in
Best Posture for Reading: How to alleviate back pain Read Post »
We all have different preferences when it comes to sleeping. Some of us are side sleepers while others may prefer to sleep on our backs. But there may be a few things to consider about your sleeping position that may be contributing to your back pain. Here are three ways to sleep to help prevent
How your sleeping position affects your back pain and neck pain Read Post »
What you carry may contribute to your back pain and neck pain: Backpack vs Shoulder bag With the start of the fall season, most of us are packing away our suitcases and picking up our backpacks and shoulder bags to return to school and work. Could your bag choice be contributing to your back pain?
Back Pain and Neck Pain – how your bag may affect it Read Post »
A recent study done in Turkey took a look at the walking patterns of chronic pain patients- ideopathic neck pain, to be specific. They based their hypothesis around previous studies that have shown that people with chronic ideopathic neck pain (CINP) had abnormal walking patterns (known as gait), whether it be in the physical pattern
A recent study released by Rheumatology takes a look at the demographics of 280 patients previously diagnosed with hypermobility syndrome. They gathered a cohort of 280 patients – 90% female and 10% male, between ages 18 and 66 (it is generally accepted that females have a higher rate of hypermobility than males, though it is
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) Demographics & Characteristics Read Post »
In May 2017, there were several changes in the criteria for the diagnosis of what used to be Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type III, hypermobility type. First, the name has been changed to hypermobile Ehler-Danlos Syndrome or hEDS. Instead of six types, there are now 13 types. Clinical EDS subtype Abbreviation IP Genetic Basis Protein
It is known that physically active patients who have stiff muscles frequently develop pain. What is less known is that patients with overly flexible joints will also frequently develop muscle pain. Congenital diseases, such as Marfan Syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), may cause joints to repeatedly dislocate, resulting in stiffness in the muscles surrounding the
The baseball season just opened and already players are calling off their first few games due to “tweaked knees” and “sore backs”. As the sun is starting to come out, and the snow is (FINALLY!) melting, many of us are anxious to get outside and start playing sports again. However, this is also a time
More and more doctors are transferring their records to an electronic format. One electronic medical records software, OpenNotes, allows patients to view their medical records online as well. Does having this information mean better care for a patient? The New York Times published an article about one patient, Steven Keating, who benefited from the ability
The BMJ (what used to be called the British Medical Journal) just published an article stating that acetaminophen (ie Tylenol) has been found to provide no relief in low back pain (compared to a placebo). Acetaminophen was also related to a risk of having an abnormal liver test. The article included data from 13 randomized
We all know that smoking is bad for you. In fact, since 1965, the Surgeon General’s Warning posted on every package of cigarettes says: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy. But did you know that in addition to the myriad of illnesses that are related to tobacco and smoking, recent
A recent study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzing spinal surgeries done on Medicare patients who were diagnosed with lumbar stenosis. Let’s rewind – what is lumbar stenosis? Lumbar refers to the lower part of the spine, where we would normally identify as low back. Stenosis refers to the narrowing
