Does Laughter Really Help Relieve Pain?

August 12, 2013September 27, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

There’s an old saying that laughter is the best medicine. While most would admit that laughter is good for your emotional health, can it really reduce pain on a physical level?

In short, yes. Laughing can help fight both mental and physical pain.

Physical Benefits of Laughter

There are many ways that the physical act of laughing can decrease pain and improve your overall health. Here are a few examples:

Increased Endorphins. When you laugh, your oxygen intake increases. This invigorates your organs and releases endorphins in your brain.
Decrease Stress. Laughing helps circulation and results in more relaxed muscles. This can undercut tension caused by stress.
Natural Pain Killers. Laughing helps the body create its own natural painkillers.

Additionally, laughter has been found to increase blood flow, lower blood pressure, and boost the immune system.

Laughter & Brain Signals

Laughter is the opposite of being sad and depressed. Too much sadness stimulates areas of the brain that are next to the centers that translate pain signals in the brain. The centers that are involved in depression can “talk” to and stimulate the pain centers. Emotional pain can make physical pain even worse. Therefore, you need to laugh and spend time relaxing and enjoying life.

When you are in pain it’s often difficult to find the funny things in life and laugh. The old saying that laughter is the best medicine may just help. It increases the body’s own pain fighting hormones, and decreases the activity areas of emotional pain. Laughter distracts the brain from bad signals and focuses on the enjoyable ones.

Tips for Comforting Orthopedic Patients This Summer

August 7, 2013August 14, 2013 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Note: This is a guest post by CastCoverz! Connect with them on Twitter.

We know your pain, your frustration, and your inconvenience while being an orthopedic patient, especially during summer! CastCoverZ! knows how to comfort , add some fun and solve your biggest challenges while casted, booted, splinted, braced or bandaged.

If you’re a mom with an injured child and need to put a smile back on their face while keeping their cast clean, save your furniture from scratching or your wardrobe from snagging, OR you are an adult looking for fashion or a discreet way to cover your cast, brace, splint or boot, we’ve got you covered with CastCoverZ!-branded products, including:

Arm and hand cast covers and slings
Leg cast covers
Orthopedic walking boot covers

If you need to keep your cast dry, we have two solutions: DryPro for the beach, waterpark or pool and CastShield for showering and bathing, both offering waterproof protection for casts and bandages. If you want a pair of designer crutches, a bag to hold your incidentals, and beautiful crutch pad covers that are oh-so-comfortable, you need CastCoverZ! Designer Color Crutches and Accessories.

If you want to get rid of the smell and itch of wearing a cast (let’s be honest, wearing a cast is like having a bacteria-loving Petri dish attached to you,) you need the CastCooler, which is a breakthrough in cast comfort and care, designed to concentrate cooling and drying effectiveness on moist areas under your cast.

Wear your personality or cover up. Stay clean, dry, snag-free, and comfortable with CastCoverZ! products. Comfort, fun, fashion, and function in the orthopedic world. It’s a challenge, but we’re up to it. Because we know if you Feel Better, you Heal Better!

Are X-Rays, MRIs, & CT Scans Helpful in Treating Back Pain?

August 5, 2013September 27, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

One of the most common concerns of someone with low back pain is whether they need X-Rays or special scans such as a CT or MRI study. Usually, the answer is no. Most low back pain will resolve in weeks to a month or two with conservative care. For normal back conditions, imaging is not necessary to guide care and is needed only in a few circumstances. In this article, we will outline the three major imaging methods (X-Rays, MRIs, CTs) and discuss when each is recommended.

X-Rays

Plain X-rays of the lumbar spine can show all of the following:

Alignment and curvature
Disc space
Bones

X –rays are helpful when there is acute trauma to the spine and fractures are a concern. In children, where scoliosis is suspected, plain films of the spine are also helpful. In normal adults without the above 2 conditions, X-rays show very little information that is useful in managing low back pain. Chiropractic films of curvature do not contribute to management decisions in back pain, and just expose one to unnecessary radiation.

MRI Scans

MRI scans of the lumbar spine can give good detailed information with regards to the following:

Bones
Discs
Ligaments
Nerves
Other abnormalities in this region

In reality, MRI scans are best for determining surgical or advanced conservative pain intervention. If you have had a scan in the past, you probably wouldn’t need another one unless your physician suspects significant new changes such as cancer.

CT Scans

CT scans of the lumbar spine are very good at evaluating the bone structures, but are not as good when evaluating discs, muscles, and nerves. They are used in cases of trauma, since a scan can be done quickly, in minutes. CT scans are also used after surgery, or when the patient has implants that are not compatible with the magnets of an MRI scan. These scans are also done only when significant changes are suspected and a surgery type intervention is being considered.

Rarely is imaging absolutely necessary in the management of low back pain. Most low back pain heals rapidly with conservative treatment. If the low back pain is not improving, then one should find a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist.