Gaithersburg, MD

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Back Pain Expert Has Some Healing Advice for Regis

Who wants to be pain-free? Well, Regis for one. Free of back pain. Is that your final answer?

Yes, Regis Philbin, broadcast TV icon and co-host of the morning talk show "Live with Regis and Kelly," has complained about recurring back pain at his show from time to time.

A few months ago on the show, Philbin, who is in his mid-70s, talked with Kelly Ripa about his back pain, which his doctor attributed to degenerative discs.

"He gave me a shot, and - I swear to God - the next day I felt good," Philbin told Ripa on the show. "I had these shots - corizone, maybe a little steroids"

Philbin was teased about being " 'roided up," by the show's producer Michael Gelman. "For a few days, I was hopped up, according to Gelman," said Philbin, who admitted, "I am tired of feeling hurt"

"I feel Regis Philbin's pain, but the long-term solution to his back pain is not through the use of drugs, and let me tell you why," says back pain specialist Jesse Cannone, co-founder of The Healthy Back Institute. "His degenerative disc disease is not actually a disease at all. It's a term that describes the natural changes the spinal discs undergo as a person ages. As a disc degenerates, it may put pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, which often leads to pain and may affect nerve function"

"Spinal discs break down with age, resulting in a loss of fluid that can prevent discs from acting as natural shock absorbers," Cannone goes to explain. "This fluid loss makes discs thinner and shrinks the gap between the vertebrae. Muscle imbalances -- essentially, one set of muscles overpowering another -- create 'postural dysfunctions' that put abnormal pressure on the vertebrae and discs, and this causes accelerated breakdown of the discs. Eventually, the weak spot gives way and makes contact with the nerve, bringing pain to someone like Regis Philbin"

"Common treatments include cortisone injections, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), hot packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, therapeutic exercises - as well as surgery. And most of these traditional treatments fail because they do not address the underlying cause of the condition," Cannone contends.

"Degenerative discs are caused by a combination of factors . . . excessive compression and torsion placed on the discs as a result of the muscle imbalances, dehydration, poor nutrition and negative emotions," he says. "The people who see the best results are the ones who address the three core areas: body, mind and diet"

"Degenerative disc disease is a loss of height of the disc and combining multiple treatment approaches together in order to decompress and generate balance and stability in the spine is very important for long-term results," Cannone says. "Inversion therapy can be very effective, but it works even better when you also perform muscle balance therapy and address the negative emotions as well as the dietary factors"

Inversion therapy is a method of treating back pain by diminishing the influence of gravity, reducing the compression of the vertebrae and discs and allowing the muscles and ligaments that encase the spine to relax.

This is typically performed on an inversion table. The table allows you to lie on your back relaxed in an inverted position. This position eliminates some or all of the gravitational compression, depending upon how far back you position your body.

Inversion therapy is the safest, quickest and most effective way to increase the space between your vertebrae, according to Cannone. Numerous clinical studies published in reputable medical journals have confirmed that inversion really does increase the separation between the discs of the spine, which brings relief from back pain for many. Cannone notes that a form of this treatment has been around for more than 2,000 years, as practiced by the Ancient Greeks.

As for muscle balance therapy, it is an innovative approach to eliminating back pain, starting with a careful yet simple assessment of all the muscles that affect the stability of your hips, pelvis, and spine -- from both a strength and a flexibility perspective -- which was developed by Cannone while helping individuals over the past decade.

Hmm, sounds like Gelman just might want to book another future guest on "Live with Regis and Kelly"

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Back pain specialist Jesse Cannone, co-founder of The Healthy Back Institute, is a certified fitness trainer, certified post rehabilitation specialist and certified specialist in performance nutrition. Cannone has authored a number of fitness books and is known most for his international, best-selling "Lose the Back Pain System," a self-assessment and self-treatment program for back pain and sciatica sufferers. Visit www.LosetheBackPain.com for FREE pain relief guides, articles and videos, revealing the latest in research and treatment breakthroughs for people suffering from all types of back, neck and sciatic pain.

Jesse Cannone

Director

Healthy Back Institute

Gaithersburg, MD

800-216-4908

800-216-3217