Tylenol Arthritis Pain, made by McNeil, has apparently being recalled. About.com's Arthritis Guides Carol and Rick Eustice give the details.

As technology has firmly established itself in the driver's seat for the global economy, the quality of our work and play activities has changed considerably. Researchers at Ghent University in Belgium found that not only has the organizational structure of many businesses changed, but workers now need to access "different mental and physical potentials". Researchers from several parts of the world seem to agree that your satisfaction with your job and the quality of your relationships at work really matter to the health and well being of your neck.

The Task Force on Neck Pain for the Bone and Joint Decade (2000-2010) says that generally, multiple factors interact to create any risk for neck pain you may have. Of course, there are some things you can control, and some you can't. You can't control how old you are (older people are at higher risk), your genetics or your gender (women are more vulnerable than men).

But if you smoke (even 2nd hand smoking counts here), do precision work or repetitive things with your neck, or are sedentary, your risk is higher. Mental tiredness is another risk factor for neck pain.

If you are the pro-active type, you may want to know that researchers found a targeted exercise program for the trapezius muscle can reduce the pain for a common condition known as trapezius myalgia. Trapezius myalgia occurs a lot in office workers.

<sub>Sources:
Cagnie, B., et. Al. Individual and work related risk factors for neck pain among office workers: a cross sectional study. Eur Spine J. 2007. May 16(5)


Haldeman, Scott DC, MD, PhD, et. Al. The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders: Executive Summary. Spine. 15 February 2008 - Volume 33 - Issue 4S.</sub>

(c) snowleopard1

Knowing that CT scans subject patients to risky amounts of radiation, number crunchers and researchers in San Francisco and Seattle set about to estimate the degree to which this type of diagnostic imaging test raises the lifetime risk for cancer. Their work is published in the December 14, 2009 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

They found that the type of scan (i.e. neck, abdominal, aortic, etc) and the patient's age when given the scan makes a big difference as to additional cancer risk later in life. For a single type of test, there might be a 13 fold variation in the amount of radiation you receive, depending on which machine is being used. The additional risk for cancer placed on those who have CT scans are related to age and sex. Overall, researchers estimated that the younger a patient is when they have the CT test, the greater their lifetime risk for cancer is. Women are more vulnerable to the risk than men. As for the types of CT scans, the more complex, non-routine tests are associated with higher risks.

CT scans are given for a variety of health reasons, including neck and back pain. Their use in medical care has all but exploded in the last 25 years, going from 3 million scans in 1980 to 70 million in 2007. They are here to stay, but the study warns against over reliance on this potentially risky exam.

| Types of Diagnostic Imaging Tests for Spine Pain | Back Pain | What is a CT scan? |

Smith-Bindman, R., MD, et. al. Radiation Dose Associated with Common Computed Tomography Examinations nd the Associated Lifetime Attributable Risk of Cancer. Arch Int Med Dec 14 09.

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If you are looking for some stocking stuffers for someone with neck or back pain here are a few ideas. And remember, about 80% of all people get back pain at some point in their lives, so a gift for the spine may be appropriate for just about anyone.

• Back Pain Understood - a handy, yet comprehensive guide to back pain and its treatments.
• The Egoscue Method - for do-it-yourselfers with chronic musculoskeletal pain
• Thermacare Wraps for those pesky muscle spasms.
• How about giving the gift of massage? Here are some tips for picking a qualified therapist. Then, just slip the gift certificate in the stocking.