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Pashinski facing strong challenge from Henry in 121st District

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Amateur boxer attacked wife, sister-in-law in 1943

<p>Last weekend my daughter sent a video of our granddaughter Rowan riding on her dad Andy&#8217;s shoulders, while he galloped around the kitchen and she used a pretend lasso to rope some imaginary monster. I loved seeing it but cringed for Andy&#8217;s back.</p><p>We have all experienced an achy back after a long day of lifting boxes, raking leaves or playing sports. Luckily, that pain usually goes away after a few days&#8217; rest, or with the help of a hot water bottle and ibuprofen.</p><p>However, if your back pain lasts more than a few weeks and is resistant to over-the-counter treatments, it is considered chronic pain and may require help from your doctor.</p><p>Back pain is estimated to be the most common type of chronic pain, with hundreds of thousands of cases reported annually. However, with so many vital systems in the area, it can be difficult for you to identify the cause without help from your doctor.</p><p>Our backs are a complex structure that provides support for many of our body&#8217;s systems and does this by coordinating the effects of many components including muscles, bones, joints, nerves and discs. When identifying the culprit, a patient&#8217;s description of the pain and the circumstances that cause it to improve or worsen are often the most helpful piece of the puzzle.</p><p>For example, nerve pain is usually associated with a prickling feeling and referred to distant body parts like the arms or legs, where bone pain is usually identified as a stabbing or aching sensation.</p><p><strong>When to speak to your doctor</strong></p><p>Pain is a very individual experience. Each person will have a different level of pain they are able to withstand without having to give up normal activities, and the threshold for what is considered &#8220;unbearable&#8221; pain may fluctuate. However, if you do find yourself struggling to perform normal activities, it&#8217;s time to speak to your doctor about your pain.</p><p>If you experience fever, loss of bowel or bladder control or numbness, weakness or clumsiness of arms or legs, you should speak to your doctor about your condition immediately. These symptoms are often associated with serious problems affecting the spinal cord.</p><p>Potential causes of chronic back pain include sprains and strains, trouble with a disc or nerve issues like spinal stenosis.</p><p>&#8226; Sprains and strains can happen all over our bodies, as well as our back. Muscle strains and ligament sprains both occur when a body part is overused, resulting in a tear or weakening of the tissue. Patients suffering from a strain or sprain usually use words like aching or stabbing to describe their pain.</p><p>If that pain doesn&#8217;t go away after several weeks, it might be time to speak to your doctor. Severe tears may require surgery.</p><p>&#8226; Disc issues are a common source of back pain. The jelly-like discs that separate our vertebrae can be pinched, damaged over time or slip out of place, causing back pain, numbness or tingling sensation. Similar to a tear, a damaged disc may be able to heal itself over time but you should be examined by your doctor if pain persists for several weeks or if symptoms spread to the extremities.</p><p>&#8226; Spinal stenosis is a common nerve condition where the spine&#8217;s opening narrows, putting pressure on the spinal cord inside the bone. The spinal cord is made up of nerves that transmit commands from your brain to various organs and muscles. Spinal stenosis is most commonly seen in older people, specifically women.</p><p>Symptoms of spinal stenosis include numbness, muscle weakness, frequent cramping and loss of bowel control. Your doctor may try physical therapy at first, but surgery can be necessary to relieve the pressure.</p><p>Back problems may be part of the price we paid as a species for having the audacity to stand up on two legs instead of walking on all fours. Although some back ache, from time to time, is to be expected, when difficulty with daily tasks, persistent symptoms over weeks or the signs of nerve involvement like those described above occur, get professional advice. You don&#8217;t have to suffer for your species.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Alfred Casale</p><p>To Your Health</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Dr. Alfred Casale, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is Associate Chief Medical Officer for Geisinger Health and Chair of the Geisinger Cardiac Institute. Readers may write to him via ae@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

When to speak to your doctor about back pain