9 Things To Keep In Mind To Treat Your Back Pain

If you’re anything like me, you try to solve your own problems with little fanfare or inconvenience to others around you. And, as a last resort, you may break down and go to see your doctor.

In the case of back pain, there are a few things to keep in mind if you have the misfortune of having to deal with it.

In most cases the pain isn’t caused by anything serious and will usually get better over time – it could be caused by a pulled muscle or as a result of having slept in a more unusual position.

1. Most people worldwide will experience back pain during their lifetime

In these cases – 98 per cent, according to research – people recover reasonably quickly, and many do so without treatment. Some people experience repeat episodes, which can be distressing, but again these are rarely dangerous.

2. You rarely need a scan and it can do more harm than good

3. Avoid bedrest, stay in work and gradually resume normal activities

4. You should not fear bending or lifting

5. Exercise and activity reduce and prevent back pain

6. Painkillers will not speed up your recovery

7. Surgery is rarely needed

8. Get good quality sleep

See more…

The original article goes into a lot more detail in each of these points. So head over there and have a read.

9. Don’t panic if you’re not able to get relief fast enough. In many cases, stress can actually make you feel even worse. In most cases, back pain is usually the result of a strain of an already weak muscle.

If you’re sedentary and pretty inactive, it doesn’t take much to feel a twinge here or there.

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/9-things-to-keep-in-mind-to-treat-your-back-pain/

Back Pain Treatments: Stretches are Important

 

So, you have back pain. You’ve been to your doctor and they say that you have a muscle strain and nothing serious is wrong. This is good. But, what do you do next?

Besides just taking a lot of pills, figuring out how to fix your back pain at home, can be trial and error for a while. But, treatment has to start somewhere. And, it’ll probably start with a few basic steps.

We already know that there isn’t a serious diagnosis, so you shouldn’t have to worry about “breaking” anything. If your x-ray/MRI came back negative, and there is nothing alarming about your lab work. Chances are you’re dealing with a simple (but excruciating) muscle strain.

This throws a lot of people off at first and they think their doctor has missed something or isn’t telling them the truth for one reason or another. But this probably isn’t the case at all. The fact is this: strained muscles don’t show up on any test. So, they’re easy to miss but they make you feel like you’re dying.

So, what do you do for them?

For back pain of the more common type you may start your home remedy search with one or more the following routines:

• Rest

People often get the wrong idea about what is meant by “rest”. It’s simply means to “take it easy” and realize that you’re injured. Don’t try to do a lot of work or activity.

Resting for an injured back is a combination of walking, sitting, and lying down. Each are important. And, you should “listen” to your back pain to know when enough is enough.

You don’t want to be a vegetable. Sure, get up and get around. But, don’t lift or do housework. Walking is probably the most strenuous activity you should be doing.

You’re going to want to avoid irritating any affected parts of your spine and the muscles that surround this area.

• Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Your doctor is probably going to tell you to take some Motrin (advil) or Naproxen (Aleve) in order to manage the pain. For most people, these medications work wonders when you have a back strain or back pain.

• Cold/Hot Packs

Some people will want to put heat on their sore muscles because it feels good. But, you may want to save this for the very last resort. This is because if you have swelling or inflammation in the area, putting heat on it will just make it work.

Heat is good for tired muscles but for injured muscles, ice works better. Applying the ice to the tenderest point with a thin layer of fabric between the skin and the ice will be better than a hot pack.

• Exercise

You may not realize this but stretching exercise is probably the most important element in a good lower back pain treatment plan. Stretches for lower back pain not only increases your overall flexibility, but it can also relieve the muscular tension that may be causing the pain in the first place.

Experts also know that stretching the legs and hips is very effective in reducing or eliminating back pain altogether in people with low back strains. This is because the muscles in the lower back are helped by the muscles in the hips and legs. And if one is doing good, the other is doing good also.

• Narcotic Pain Medications

If your pain is severe, anti-inflammatory medications may not be enough to make you comfortable. This is when your doctor may prescribe narcotics. Medications like Norco and Vicodin are common. But, some people don’t like them because narcotics may affect your brain and make you feel “foggy”.

• Muscle Relaxers

Muscle relaxers are another type of medication that your doctor may recommend. But, like narcotics, they may have side effects like drowsiness and also give you that “foggy” feeling. But, if your pain is keeping you awake, a muscle relaxer like Flexeril, Valium, or Soma may be prescribed.

You may have success with one or more of these approaches in combination. But, the thing to keep in mind is the need to keep moving. An important thing to keep in mind is that doing leg and hip range of motion exercises are good back pain stretches.

 

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/back-pain-treatments-stretches-are-important/

Six technologies from American Telemedicine Association (ATA) 2017

In 2017, has telehealth and remotely-delivered care evolved? Compared to our published research dated 2011, times may have changed. As surveys have indicated, the healthcare industry is interested and more committed to mainstream use of telehealth technologies.  And telehealth vendors want to help doctors and patients gain teh mutual benefit of care provided at home versus hospital, especially to lower care delivery costs; augment care for patients in locations far from a specialist or during off-hours; and continue growing the ability of patients and families to self-monitor chronic disease.  In 2016, CMS published a list of covered telehealth services, and no doubt commitment to cost reductions (and reimbursements) in the coming years will result in an expanded list and further industry commitment.  Perhaps ATA's smaller conference will evolve to become part of other sets of conferences, like Connected Health in Boston or part of the ever-growing HiMSS conference collection.

Demonstration showcase simulated the remote care process. The Simulation Showcase and Experience Zone was set up at ATA to demonstrate scenarios of care in which remote consultation could be effective. The setting included demonstrations of such long-time senior-focused technology offerings like GreatCall, Breezie, and It’s Never Too Late (iN2L). In addition, ATA offered a showcase for tech offerings that could help older adults in multiple health-challenged circumstances receive remotely-provided care.  Here are six of them in alphabetical order – with material from the companies:

Bewell Connect. Part of French medical device company, Visiomed, BewellConnect has been launched in Boston with the objective of "informing the future of health care by providing patients with alternative solutions that aim to help reduce the number of visits to the doctor, lessen the probability of hospital readmission, curtail health risks, promote prevention through daily self-monitoring, and streamline the communication with medical professionals since the patient is more informed of their own body."  Includes an app to monitor information from the product line.  Learn more at Bewell Connect.

MedPod.  Suite of technology-enabled offerings ("augmented medicine") to help provide care outside of a hospital or doctor’s office. "Medpod seamlessly integrates to improve treatment outcomes. By coupling a pioneering platform with a spectrum of flexible, versatile and seamless medical access points (MAPs) powered by best-in-class medical and laboratory devices, Medpod enables the deployment of a whole new breed of healthcare solutions and delivery environments, including: Mobile Medical Cart, Mobile Medical Center, and MobileDoc."  Learn more at MedPod.

TripleCare. "TripleCare is a telemedicine-enabled physician group. Our team of doctors utilizes two-way video and digital diagnostic equipment to bring care directly to patients’ bedsides in nursing facilities. This creates numerous benefits for your facility, your patients, and your economics.By putting the TripleCare system in place, the Company’s clients have increased their census, reimbursement, and patient satisfaction across the board. TripleCare’s physicians have treated thousands of complex medical conditions onsite, avoiding a hospital admission over 80% of the time." Learn more at TripleCare.

Vidyo. "The Vidyo VirtualDesign service ensures success for care providing organizations looking to implement effective and sustainable telehealth programs. VirtualDesign is comprised of a proven repeatable framework for telehealth program design and is complemented by live coaching from experts with years of experience and expertise in building and deploying successful telehealth programs." Learn more at Vidyo.

VivifyHealth. "Core platform functionality includes easily modified care plans, biometric data monitoring, video education, video conferencing, text-to-speech, and more. The engagement tactics and educational tools utilized are varied and customized to each population segment or individual thereby delivering higher quality and more cost-effective care. Vivify’s back-end caregiver portal is equally intuitive and allows clinicians to efficiently and proactively manage the complex workflow of remote care for virtually any clinical condition.IRB-study results confirm readmission reductions by over 65% plus compliance and satisfaction levels exceeding 95%. The Vivify solution, including home care kits, can be used by patients well into their 80’s and 90’s."  Learn more at VivifyHealth.

Zipnosis. "Leading health systems are bridging the gap between traditional telemedicine and virtual care with Zipnosis. Our collaborative approach to client relationships means we work with you to assemble a combination of access points, technologies and services tailored to your health system. The Zipnosis platform gives you a simple way to provide personalized online care, meeting the diverse needs of your patients. It features traditional telemedicine tools combined with forward-looking virtual care technologies and a variety of options for integrating with existing clinical and operational systems." Learn more at Zipnosis.

 

category tags: 

mHealth-Digital Health-Telehealth, IoT and home monitoring, healthcare, digital health, tablets

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/six-technologies-american-telemedicine-association-ata-2017

InnovAge Welcome Video 4 24 17

Here's a video we created for new employees, welcoming them to the InnovAge family.

from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFEh6K8pYvQ

Pitch now, commercialize later -- does the Live Pitch persuade?

Pitch events precede clarity of offering which precedes... Hopefully the best pitches of best offerings will be funded. But that funding is linked to detailed criteria (see the Link-age Ventures criteria as an example.)  Or investment history, as with the five Generator Ventures, can be viewed online.  Startups know that first multiple pitch events will smooth rough edges of the pitch and help refine the offering itself.  For example, one year ago note that GoGoGrandparent started as telephone-based way to call Uber for, sigh, the founder’s grandmother, now refined as a nationwide “services that help families take better care of older adults.” Pitches represent a single step in this process for obtaining feedback, scoping markets, seeking seed funding, later stage rounds -- ultimately scaling the offering into long-term viability, with referrers, resellers, and revenue.  With that as context, consider these three pitch events.

Not on the aging care radar, Miami Herald Business Plan Finalists announced. These include two for which the platform and potential are compelling:  Caribu – video calling to read a bed-time story, while targeted at traveling parents, is reminiscent of Readeo, which initially targeted grandparents reading to grandchildren. And consider DoUCare, reminiscent of many, a “Cloud-based platform that connects freelance caregivers to families seeking nonmedical home care services for their elderly loved ones. Careseekers get immediate or future-scheduled care services through a phone or web app. Caregivers get access to an online marketplace that gets them hired at the rate of their choice.”

Stanford Longevity Design Challenge pick was compelling -- though not yet manufactured. The topic was 'Aging in Place' and this design, from a university in Pakistan, should be commercialized and enter the market. "Tame is a wearable device for real-time pathological wrist tremor suppression that gives back control to tremor patients for doing daily tasks. The device has a sensor near the wrist which tracks the wearer’s tremor profile and electrodes that stimulate the muscles to counteract the tremor and suppress it. Instead of a conventional glove, TAME is a wearable device, small and light weight enough to be discreetly worn under a shirt. The device’s sensors and electrodes correspond to positions recommended by neurologists and physiotherapists. TAME has 2 variants; a sleeve, and a wearable with retractable wires." Winner of previous contests, see Tame.Pk.

AARP LivePitch selection criteria needs another round.  With the most publicity, funding, and reach, this event, AARP's Live Pitch, should be a slam-dunk set of winners. Were they? Drawn from a 200-plus submission pool, all were described as 'emerging' – but the landscape of potential users should have already emerged. First remind yourself what a large percent of the older population (age 65+) has a smartphone – whew, it’s 42% for 65+ and three-quarters of the 50-64. So for the 50-65 age range of typical AARP focus, those from the innovation finalist list that had apps, that’s good! Smartwatches have not taken off for anyone, despite excessive hype about their use for older adults. Oh, and new apps on smartphones are likely a non-starter. What about a unique offering targeted to the small subset of people worried that they are at significant risk of have a heart attack AND willing to wear a smartwatch that can warn them in real time?  

category tags: 

Boomer-Senior Tech Business, Family caregivers, vehicle/transportation technology-services, Technology - AARP

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/pitch-now-commercialize-later-does-live-pitch-persuade

AARP Innovation 50+ Live Pitch 2017 – Some familiar, some new

AARP’s Innovation 50+ Live Pitch starts today – what's new?  This marathon tried to put 20 pounds of entrants (culled from many more) into the 10-pound bag of a two-day pitch event across two broad categories. So following this trend towards compression, we will leave FinTech to others and just focus on the Caregiving Health Technology firms. While the pitch may be new, some, as noted, may not be new. Placed in context by taking note of what’s in (or was in) market and similar to these finalists. In the alphabetical order presented -- link to available websites or descriptions -- minus Twitter handle:  

• Aegle Palette, San Francisco, CA, "works to prevent and revert chronic diseases by empowering patients and providers with complete nutritional and lifestyle data. Palette is smart placemat residing on your dining table that accurately tracks your meals’ nutrition." $15/month subscription fee. Has an app. Anything similar?  SmartPlate. Tellspec.

• AgeWell Global, London, UK, "seeks to improve the psychosocial well-being and health of less able older adults through tech-enabled, peer companions who address emotional, social, and physical health through regular home visits, periodic phone calls, and algorithm-driven referrals to health care providers and links to social networks in their communities." Pilot stage. Has an app. Anything similar? SeniorsHelpingSeniors, FullCircleAmerica.    

• BrainCheck, Houston, TX, Founded to detect student athlete concussions, now has "early detection of memory loss for individuals and senior living communities. Offers a rapid, mobile cognitive tracking platform for cognitive health assessments to be a routine part of life for everyone. In under 10 minutes, they assess multiple cognitive domains, and deliver results immediately, tracking changes from a person’s baseline and from the population average.” Has a web app in addition to smartphone.  Anything similar?  Impact, Cantab Mobile.

• Ceresti Health, Carlsbad, CA, Online family caregiver training tool. “Empowers family caregivers to tackle chronic conditions and care challenges for loved ones living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. Their personalized digital health programs provide caregivers with education, support." Anything similar?  aQuire, CareZone.

• GoGoGrandparent, Mountain View, CA, Telephone-based tool (originally a phone service to call an Uber). This "helps older adults access and use on demand transportation and offers extra tools for caregivers." Has added tracking the trip and ability to repeat previous pickup and drop-off locations, like grocery store trips. Previously discussed in April, 2016.

• iBeat, San Francisco, CA, is an "emergency response network making the world safer by giving people the fastest access to care in an emergency via a smartwatch that continually monitors users’ heart activity. In an emergency, iBeat will instantly alert the user, their loved ones, and 911, helping ensure immediate care and potentially saving the user’s life." Anything similar?  Withings Pulse, Philips HealthWatch.

• Kinto, Cambridge, MA, "is a smartphone app that helps family caregivers with finances, medical bills, prescriptions, legal documents, and simply keeping Mom or Dad safe, happy, and healthy. Kinto is always in your purse or pocket with practical advice, useful tools, and a community of fellow caregivers sharing their support."  Anything similar? See Caring.com's list.

• AskMarvee, St. Petersburg, FL, "is a voice-driven, care-companion service imbued with alerts, home safety and family interaction functions, providing awareness, peace of mind and social engagement." Interacts with Amazon Echo as an Alexa skill or smartphone app. Previously discussed, December, 2016.

• PillDrill, Las Vegas, NV, is a "smart medication tracking system that intelligently modernizes the pill taking experience. PillDrill is easy to use, adapts seamlessly to any medication routine, and works whether a person manages their own medication regimen or someone else's." Previously discussed in April, 2016.

• Siren Care, San Francisco, CA, is a "smart sock with sensors embedded inside the fabric that tracks temperature and can find injury in real time, improving the lives of people living with diabetes." Pre-order. Anything similar? Sensoria (attempted), SenseGO. 

category tags: 

Family caregivers, dementia care, smartwatch, cell phones, smartphones, tablets

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/aarp-innovation-50-live-pitch-2017-some-familiar-some-new

The mythology of caregiver technology's non-adoption

Pundits perpetuate the myth of non-use of so-called caregiving technology.  According to AARP, 40 million caregivers are taking care of an older, sicker person -- so says an oft-quoted 2013 AARP Public Policy Report statistic. Do you really believe that only 7% of these 'caregivers' use technology to help them? Is that as of 2013? What is the 'technology' they won't use? And what is the theory as to why they won’t? Says Jeff Makowka of AARP: “Since many such caregivers also hold down regular jobs, they simply don’t have time to try some new technology.” But if they’re working (or of working age), three-fourths of them have smartphones. And given the data-hogging nature of that market, all are fairly new. But wait, he also cited an example of an Amazon Echo as deployed for a family member with dementia -- enabling endless repetition of questions like 'What time is it?' etc. Okay, now we have to ask, is the Echo a ‘caregiving technology’? How about Facebook, described as a caregiver 'mecca'.

Does a technology survey recognize common technology used by caregivers?  So let’s presume that a family member of an older adult is the responsible party for that person’s care.  According to a recent survey by Caring.com, fewer than 6% are sold on technology to help them with tasks, including "shop for groceries, manage finances, and get personal transportation from anywhere to anywhere –- all from your computer or smartphone."  Note in that linked chart that 25% who live separately from a care recipient indicated use of a Personal Emergency Response System (PERS). But apparently that is not a ‘caregiving’ technology, also described by Caring.com as an app. One imagines that vendors in the $3 billion PERS market would disagree that an app and a technology are synonymous -- and perhaps they would also note that in their business, like Philips, they market an app.

Was the survey respondent an Amazon Echo user? Who would know since responders weren't provided that as a choice? In fact, the intersection of caregiver and Echo buyer universe may populate a future Venn diagram.  The Amazon Echo does not fit within caregiving technology categories, opines AARP’s report on Caregiving Technology Frontiers.  Some in the media refer to it as a smart speaker or part of a smart home or maybe IoT or a voice assistant. But the reality is that it exists and has transformed the tech landscape -- and not simply in its own widening ecosystem.  And would a survey questioner know that the Amazon Echo software is enabled on five devices or that interface hardware exists -- such as LifePod -- activated by voice to prompt the device with person-specific customized guidance to older adults? Consider Orbita Health’s Lenovo demonstration: "Alexa, when should I take my meds?"

The health technology mega-market includes, but should not target, caregivers.  Family and professional caregivers are harmed by the narrow-casting questions, simplistic surveys, examples and continuous repetition about non-adoption. Worse, these conclusions confuse the tech marketplace of vendors and drives them to miss the meaning of the larger picture about tech adoption. In fact, as Pew's Tech Adoption of Boomers (and Everyone Else) slides note, 83% of younger boomers aged 51-59, the prime age of caregivers for the elderly, are Internet users, 59% are smartphone users, 66% have broadband at home, and 52% use Facebook. 

category tags: 

baby boomers, Family caregivers, cell phones, smartphones

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/mythology-caregiver-technologys-non-adoption

Amgen, UCB present romosozumab Phase 2 results at ENDO 2017

Amgen and UCB today announced results from the fourth year of a Phase 2 study showing the efficacy and safety of a second course of treatment with EVENITY™* (romosozumab), an investigational…
[Read More …]

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/amgen-ucb-present-romosozumab-phase-2-results-at-endo-2017/

Tech marketers -- Use census data to refine understanding

Market sizing, trending, and targeting all depend on data.  Marketers understand this – and their sources, Nielsen, Pew Research and AARP have, for many years, provided data food for marketers. And so every tech company ever launched builds its business case on tech adoption trends (and gaps) derived from these sources.  So what’s the survey population makeup? Consider Nielsen (global, online, n=30,000); Pew Internet use (US, 2015 n=3004); and AARP (US, 2016, n=1500).  These are all declared to be statistically valid samples. But what if the sample size was 3.5 million households, comprising 1% of the US population, as was the case in the last three years of American Community Surveys (ACS) as collected by the US Census Bureau? [Note: per this discussion, a household can have one or more persons aged 65+).

The ACS is quite specific about Internet access mechanisms for households. Could this, would this be interesting for targeting advertising within a geography? Why? Because the data outlines technology device and Internet access types -- down to the geographical level. Oh, and device ownership, for example, smartphones, that can be correlated with age, income, marital status, and multigenerational household?  So how has type of Internet access for the households of the 65+ population changed during the two-year period 2013-2015 (see Figure 1)? And what does it mean? 

Figure 1 Internet access (%) 2013 vs. 2015, households with person(s) 65+

Cable modem access is growing among older adults.  Why? Well, it is described as being faster than DSL -- so that’s compelling.  It could easily be sold as part of a $100+/month triple play (or the not-so appealing quad play) offering by a carrier hoping to lock in users with a suite of services.   Note the low penetration of Fiber to the home for the 65+ (see Figure 2).  Perhaps that not because it is unappealing, but is because as of 2015, only 25% of the US has access to fiber networks -- the fastest Internet access speed. 

Figure 2 Household Internet access (%) by age group

Who can afford to pay for access?  Note that the percentage of household non-Internet use for the 65+ decreased between those two census surveys. Also note that forty percent of the households with someone aged 75+ are not buying what Internet service providers (via any method) and their advertisers, including AARP, are selling. Maybe this can be attributed to the price of Internet access of any type, which is not cheap.  Note mobile and Internet access for the $75K income band for the full 2015 population of 47.9 million aged 65+ (see Figure 3).   Median income of households that year was $38.5K, $22.9K for individuals -- and $18.6K for those without earnings (jobs).  Now for those organizations focused on helping older adults go online -- note that pesky digital divide.  And digital health? It's not happening for most older adults, including boomers aged 65-71.

Figure 3 Household Internet for the population aged 65+, by income range

category tags: 

computers, internet and social networking

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/tech-marketers-use-census-data-refine-understanding

Tech marketers -- Use census data to improve market understanding

Market sizing, trending, and targeting all depend on data.  Marketers understand this – and their sources, Nielsen, Pew Research and AARP have, for many years, provided data food for marketers. And so every tech company ever launched builds its business case on tech adoption trends (and gaps) derived from these sources.  So what’s the survey population makeup? Consider Nielsen (global, online, n=30,000); Pew Internet use (US, 2015 n=3004); and AARP (US, 2016, n=1500).  These are all declared to be statistically valid samples. But what if the sample size was 3.5 million households, comprising 1% of the US population, as was the case in the last three years of American Community Surveys (ACS) as collected by the US Census Bureau? [Note: per this discussion, a household can have one or more persons aged 65+).

The ACS is quite specific about Internet access mechanisms for households. Could this, would this be interesting for targeting advertising within a geography? Why? Because the data outlines technology device and Internet access types -- down to the geographical level. Oh, and device ownership, for example, smartphones, that can be correlated with age, income, marital status, and multigenerational household?  So how has type of Internet access for the households of the 65+ population changed during the two-year period 2013-2015 (see Figure 1)? And what does it mean? 

Figure 1 Internet access (%) 2013 vs. 2015, households with person(s) 65+

Cable modem access is growing among older adults.  Why? Well, it is described as being faster than DSL -- so that’s compelling.  It could easily be sold as part of a $100+/month triple play (or the not-so appealing quad play) offering by a carrier hoping to lock in users with a suite of services.   Note the low penetration of Fiber to the home for the 65+ (see Figure 2).  Perhaps that not because it is unappealing, but is because as of 2015, only 25% of the US has access to fiber networks -- the fastest Internet access speed. 

Figure 2 Household Internet access (%) by age group

Who can afford to pay for access?  Note that the percentage of household non-Internet use for the 65+ decreased between those two census surveys. Also note that forty percent of the households with someone aged 75+ are not buying what Internet service providers (via any method) and their advertisers, including AARP, are selling. Maybe this can be attributed to the price of Internet access of any type, which is not cheap.  Note mobile and Internet access for the $75K income band for the full 2015 population of 47.9 million aged 65+ (see Figure 3).   Median income of households that year was $38.5K, $22.9K for individuals -- and $18.6K for those without earnings (jobs).  Now for those organizations focused on helping older adults go online -- note that pesky digital divide.  And digital health? It's not happening for most older adults, including boomers aged 65-71.

Figure 3 Household Internet for the population aged 65+, by income range

category tags: 

computers, internet and social networking

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/tech-marketers-use-census-data-improve-market-understanding