Abstract
This is a community health related assessment concerning the issue of low back pain among nurses. After a review of the prevalence of the disorder, the paper includes a comprehensive assessment examining biophysical, psychological, physical, socio-cultural, behavioral and healthcare system implications related to the problem. A critical analysis and community nursing diagnosis is also provided.

From the Paper
"According to the US Department of Health (Brown, 2003) every day approximately 9,000 healthcare workers become disabled through injury on the job. Worker's compensation claims for healthcare workers related to back injuries are approximately $1.7 billion (Goldsmith, 2001) based on an injury frequency of 1 in 10 work related back injuries ending up with an injured nurse. According to Hedge (n.d.), the rate of injury to nurses is approximately twice that for all industries combined. Approximately 12% of nurses leave the profession each year due to back pain and back related injuries (ANA President Barbara Blakeney, 2004 as cited in "ANA Launches," 2004)."

Tags:back, pain, nurses

Abstract
In this article, the writer explains that chronic non-specific low back pain is defined as back pain that continues for more than 12 weeks often without a specific source or triggering factor. The writer notes that at present, chronic low back pain is considered by doctors to be the most expensive benign disease in industrialized countries because it significantly limits the number of physical and non-physical activities that a person might do. The writer points out that due to the rising cost to the economy because of back pain, it becomes very important to find cheaper alternative treatments and management strategies to prevent it from occurring and to lessen the pain associated with it. The writer concentrates on Pilates exercises. The writer concludes that Pilates exercises not only focus on the core muscles associated with low back pain, but have confirmed pain management effects.

Outline:
Introduction
Using Pilates to Improve Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain
Results of the Pilates Intervention Program
Conclusion

From the Paper
"One of the cheaper alternative treatments that have been found for chronic non-specific low back pain is exercise therapy. Exercise therapy for back pain focuses on the key areas of the back so that the person suffering from it can slowly become more confident to use their spine and become less afraid of the physical pain associated with using it. As exercise therapy progresses, the back muscles are strengthened and the individual will experience less pain with physical activity. Exercise therapy is also cheaper than traditional physiotherapy since it can be performed in groups with only a single instructor while physiotherapy mandates expensive one-on-one session with a physical therapist."

Tags:treatments, exercise, therapy, muscles

Abstract
This paper briefly provides a review of lower back pain, from a review of the main types of lower back pain to their causes. It explains that this is a very treatable condition and suggests methods for prevention and cure.

From the Paper
"Many adults suffer from lower back pain, and indeed back pain is one of the main reasons for patients seeking treatment from their family doctor: it is estimated that lower back pain costs the US health care system $25 billion annually in diagnosis and treatment (Bratton, 1999). The effective diagnosis and early treatment of lower back pain is therefore desirable (Bratton, 1999)."

Tags:spinal, injury, diagnosis

Abstract
This paper provides a critical review of the literature, a series of case studies and illustrative vignettes to provide a history of acupuncture. It discusses its typical applications and methods and how the techniques developed by Master Tung have been refined and improved by his followers over the years. The paper provides a summary of the research, salient findings and recommendations.

Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of Study
Importance of Study
Rationale of Study
Overview of Study
Preliminary Review of Related Literature
A Brief History of Acupuncture
Master Tung's Acupuncture
Modern Applications of Acupuncture
Constraints to Acupuncture

From the Paper
"While the application of acupuncture techniques has proven efficacious for a wide range of conditions, including chronic back pain, there are some constraints involved in its use with some people who appear to be genetically incapable of benefiting from the practice. For example, scientists have determined that certain strains of mice do not appear to respond to the pain management potential of acupuncture because they lack the necessary genetic opiate receptors. In this regard, Cargill (1994) reports that, "Some people who do not respond to needling--a 10 percent minority--may fail to do so because they, too, genetically lack these requisite neural receptors" (p. 41). Other people, particularly in the West, may simply believe that such complementary and alternative medical approaches will not work for them, thereby creating a self-fulfilling prophecy as to the efficacy of the approach. Despite these constraints, though, it appears that the benefits of properly administered acupuncture techniques far outweigh any potential constraints, and this forms the essence of the purpose of the proposed instant study."

Tags:chronic pain, therapy anatomy, alternative medicine

Abstract
This paper examines how John Osborne's 1956 play "Look Back in Anger" is considered one of the revolutionary plays of the time. The play deals with some painful realities of social and political structure of England in 1950s when the country was experiencing some significant shift in terms of cultural and social values. It looks at how it was considered a 'proletarian upsurge' of liberated working class writers rebelling against the establishment and how it turned the theater into an instrument of social change.

From the Paper
"The very success of the play indicated that people were willing to accept new role of theatre. They wanted change and they would accept anything that served as an instrument of social change. British theatre in 1956 became that instrument: 'for a short time at least...a mirror in which the nation could observe, stark and naked, its own image' (Edgar 1981:38). Theatre suddenly found itself at the center of major wider realignment in British society, where people especially new breed of New Wave writers actively began challenging post-war certainties. 'Retrospectively, 1956 has become an annus mirabilis...crudely; Suez and Look Back in Anger seem part of the same event' (Hewison 1981:127)."

Tags:working, class, new, wave, jimmy, porter

Abstract
This paper examines and reviews the book "Which Side are you on? Trying to be for Labor When it's Flat on its Back," by Thoma Geoghegan, a labor lawyer who has a dim view of the modern American labor movement. The paper discusses Geoghegan's beliefs that the labor movement is past its prime and usefulness and will eventually dwindle away, dying a lingering and painful death and leaving millions of Americans unrepresented in its wake. The paper shows, through reference to statistics, that Geoghegan's predictions from 1991 seem to coming true, with trade union membership figures dwindling along with their power. The author of the paper presents reasons why he agrees with Geoghegan's thesis.

From the Paper
"To prove his point, the author follows the descent and crash of the steel industry, and shows how it fell from one of the largest organized employers in the nation to a small, unorganized industry. "Oh, we would still have a steel industry, and some of it would be new: small, low-wage 'mini-mills,' mostly non-union, mostly in the South" (Geoghegan 85). The steel industry never regained its heyday, and many other organized industries have followed suit.
Geoghegan comes across as jaded and tired in his tirade about the unions, and after reading this book, it is difficult not to see why. His career as a labor lawyer has shown him all sides of the unions, from their heydays to their rapid declines. He has defended union member pensions that were wiped out by crafty corporations like International Harvester, who sold a steel mill to a small operator who went bankrupt, and took the member's pensions with them. The union members finally got a settlement from Harvester that was a mere pittance to what their pensions would have been. It was a sad case for the unions, and points to the unions demise, they simply do not wield the power they once did."

Tags:Wagner, NLRB, Taft, Hartley, Enron

Abstract
The paper discusses the lower back as an area of the body for which people seek pain treatment far more frequently than almost any other. The paper notes that chronic low back pain is a primary reason for individuals to seek and potentially become addicted to narcotic pain medication. Additionally, many individuals overuse over the counter analgesics and or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (often a cause of stomach problems or even vascular and cardiac damage). The paper discusses the use of BASI Pilates as a core muscle training program that can, when applied correctly, alleviate and even eliminate chronic lower back pain through training. This includes balance and the strengthening of abdominal and back muscles.

Outline:
Anatomical Description of Lower Back
Introduction
Body
BASI Pilates Regiment (Abdomen and Lower Back)
Case Study
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The lower back is the lay term usually given to the lumbar and sacrum portions of the spinal column and all the muscles and connective tissues that surround them. The spinal column is composed of 33 interlocking vertebrae and the sacrum, the lowers five vertebrates plus the scrum make up what is known as the lower back. This are of the back is frequently a source of pain as there are many stressors and or injuries/diseases that can effect it as well as the stressful posture of continual sitting or standing or lifting using back instead of leg muscles can create superficial strain or deep muscle strain on the area."

Tags:nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory, drugs, alternative, treatments

Abstract
In this article, the writer addresses the issue of ergonomics for office employees who sit behind computers. The writer discusses the impact of body positions on health including compression of the spine and low back pain. Further, the writer offers practical recommendations in this regard.

From the Paper
"As the new Director of Occupational Safety and health I would address the issue of ergonomics for office workers in my facility by implementing as many of the ideas listed below as practical. According to an essay published online by the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety basic office activities involve sitting in front of a computer terminal and operating it by means of typing or moving a mouse. Still no matter how harmless these activities may seem they do set the stage for injuries ..."

Tags:ergnomics, office workers, computer workstations, mouse, typing

From the Paper
"Frequency of Low-Back Pain Injuries


The U.S. Department of Labor (Smith, 1990) reports that injuries to the back constitute 25% of all occupational injuries and illnesses for 1985, Thus, one in four work-place injuries were related to the back for this time-frame. For 1990, however, the U.S. Department of Labor (1992, p. 5) reports that 56% of all private sector occupational injuries were due to "Disorders associated with repeated trauma" (e.g., conditions that are due to repeated pressure, vibration, or motion, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and the low-back). While there are no statistics for the percentage of injuries constituted by the different types of back injuries (i.e., injuries to the sacrum, coccyx, disc, and multiple areas of the trunk), what is clear is that employers must protect against this phenomenon (U.S. Department of Labor..."

From the Paper
"... note that the provision of range of motion (ROM) exercises early on by professional physical therapists can provide the patient with a wide variety of benefits relative to rate of recovery, degree of recovery, use of medication, use of appliances, overall comfort, and amount of time loss from work, and return to work. Given these numerous benefits, then, the provision of physical therapy can not only benefit the patient but, as well, the insurance company responsible for purchasing health care and the employer whose loss of revenues may adversely affect organization operation and financial standing of the firm. Beyond these, the hospital providing the physical therapy as well as benefits, in that ... "