TAMPA — In the military, back pain is considered a "silent
killer" and a "lingering pain of war." While not as immediately
disabling as the blast injuries seen in combat in Iraq and
Afghanistan, the toll is still huge. After retirement, back pain
is a top reason that soldiers leave service, according to
researchers at the University of South Florida studying a
potential source of relief. With a grant from the Department of
Defense, the USF team aims to see if exercise can prevent back
injury. They're examining an intensive regimen using a high-tech
machine that allows trainers to target the specific muscles
involved in lower back pain. The study of 600 combat medics in
training at the Fort Sam Houston Army base in Texas could have
implications for millions of Americans suffering back pain.
Nearly everyone eventually experiences back pain, the second
leading neurological ailment after headaches, according to the
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Back
pain costs Americans $86 billion a ye