Spinal Cord Stimulators for Chronic Back Pain Win FDA Approval On May 16, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved spinal cord stimulation (SCS) devices from the pharmaceutical company Abbott to treat chronic back pain in people who have not had or are not eligible to receive back surgery, per a press release from Abbott . Approval was granted after a six-month study of 200 participants showed that spinal cord stimulation provided significant relief and improvements in pain, function, quality of life, and mental health.Those enrolled in the trial had experienced an average of nearly 13 years of disabling chronic back pain. Participants were not eligible for corrective back operations because they were either medically frail or they had numerous degenerative changes in their spine, none of which were severe enough to qualify for corrective surgery but are nonetheless causing significant symptoms. After half a year, 85 percent of those implanted with Abbott’s SCS d
Fitness and Exercise: Health Benefits, How to Get Started, and How to Get Better Many people strive to be fit. Fitness, after all, is synonymous with health. Having a high level of overall fitness is linked with a lower risk of chronic disease, as well as a better ability to manage health issues that do come up. Better fitness also promotes more functionality and mobility throughout one’s life span. And in the short term, being active can help your day-to-day functioning, from better mood to sharper focus to better sleep. Simply put: Our bodies are meant to move, and they tend to function better when we’re more fit. That said, it’s also important to know that there are many different ways to be fit (think of a ballet dancer versus a bodybuilder or a sprinter versus a gymnast). And fitness does not have a singular “look.” In fact, appearance can’t necessarily tell you about someone’s habits, whether they’re actually physically active, or even whether they’re fit at all. What It Means