The medical question I find most baffling is, “What is your pain level today?” What is it supposed to accomplish? I set out to find the answer.
Francesca’s Story: With No Diagnosis, How Do You Fight for Your Health?
As a young adult, Francesca P. would ignore her minor hurts, and they would go away. Until, one day, they didn’t.
Human vs. Primate Lumbar Spines: What Have We Gained? What Have We Lost?
How similar are human lumbar spines to those of other primates? Are they prone to the same sorts of injuries? And if not, then why did humans evolve such an obviously flawed system?
Book Review: The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care – and How to Fix It by Marty Makary, MD
The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care and How to Fix It took my snippets of observation and placed them in a larger context. If you’re an American who wants to know what the heck is wrong with our health care system, then this book is for you.
What’s It Like to Have a Sitting Disability?
What’s it like to have a sitting disability? In this podcast, Hannah and I discuss the health consequences and social awkwardness.
Claire’s Story: It’s Not Easy to Loosen up when You Have Stiff Person Syndrome
Ten years ago, Claire M. had the contours of her life plotted out. She worked part-time doing customer service and other odd jobs for her husband’s employer, but the better part of her energy was spent taking care of her family. Her oldest son, born in 2002, had a rare genetic anomaly. A section of his DNA had been duplicated, which caused autism-like behaviors, a deformity in one foot, and an inability to sweat. Claire’s younger son wasn’t classified as special needs, but like all children, the six-year-old boy needed attention and love. Claire hadn’t expected to become a full-time…
Lisa’s Story: Cyclist’s Syndrome Hits Probation Officer Where It Hurts
Lisa’s love affair with engines and fast rides would remain with her for decades. And no one, certainly not Lisa, expected that a little thing like nerve entrapment would pull her permanently off a motorcycle.
Maryanne’s Story: A Catholic Sister Prays for Healing, Gets Pelvic Pain
Maryanne knew her purpose. She was going to be a Catholic sister. But the convent wasn’t designed with pudendal neuralgia in mind.
Disc Herniations: A Failure Between the Bones
A disc herniation is a simple concept to explain. A bit of disc material crosses the border, and starts occupying space that belongs to other tissues. But when I started reading up on disc herniations in an effort to understand my own, I realized that this simple definition belies the complex nature of the tissues and processes involved. The disc itself is an impressive feat of engineering, but it also has fatal weaknesses. And once structural integrity has failed, the disc is capable of wreaking havoc on the body to a degree inconsistent with its small size. What a Disc…
Nick’s Story: A Mobile Software Developer Remains Sedentary, Develops Back Pain
Nick B. was establishing himself as a mobile software developer when anterolisthesis made seated work impossible.