Listen to Dr. Eric Wise discuss osteoporosis, vertebral compression fractures, and balloon kyphoplasty on “Bone Talk” – the official podcast of the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Listen Now »

Chelsea Anderson, host of Moms Everyday, interviews Drs. Littlejohn and Thompson of Northeast Pain Management about helping those whose aches and pains have become more than a nuisance. Northeast Pain Management looks to improve their patients pain and level of function by finding the right plan that works best for each individual.

LIFE EXPECTANCY WOULD GROW BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS IF GREEN VEGETABLES SMELLED AS GOOD AS BACON

While even if the above were true and we lived longer, green vegetables do not increase our resistance to pain.

As we know, so many times in our lives, pain of all kinds can afflict our bodies making life seemingly unbearable. It’s a known fact that as we age, the perils of life do include the occasional bout with pain ranging from mild to devastating. As we gain in years, it becomes even more important to know the cause of the pain we experience. But in the larger sense, it is impossible to know exactly what to do and that is when we turn to medical professionals who are up to date in finding ways to mediate the devastating and crippling effects of long term pain.

One such medical doctor who has built his professional practice concentrating not only on all of the types and sources of pain, but also the most advanced methods of treating most of them, is Dr. Ben Zolper who for the last 20 years has conveniently located his expanding practice in Bangor, Maine.

Read the full story here.

Balloon kyphoplasty providing support for fractured vertebra

Balloon kyphoplasty can be done in about an hour, under local or general anesthesia, according to Dr. Ben Zolper, of Northeast Pain Management in Bangor, who pioneered the use of the procedure in the state.

In balloon kyphoplasty, a small incision is made on either side of the spine, and tubes are inserted into the spongy material inside the fractured vertebra.

“It leaves two small nicks in the back that are covered by a Band Aid,” said Zolper.

Read full story | Morning Sentinel

St. Albans woman, 78, overcomes a broken back

When Marjorie Weeman’s husband died 25 years ago, amid the grieving, she found an unexpected silver lining.

“The funny part of it is, when he was alive, I never had a chance to enjoy the outside,” Weeman, now 78, said last week, watching through a large window as a strong, wet wind shook a tree in her front yard.

Weeman, one of millions of women who suffer from osteoporosis, underwent an innovative spinal surgery in an effort to correct a painful back injury she suffered earlier this year.

Read full story | Morning Sentinel

Dr. Ben Zolper and Dr. Peter Thompson discussed the benefits of Balloon Kyphoplasty and treating spinal fractures on WABI TV5 News. Click below to read the news story and view the video on WABI TV5’s website.

Balloon Kyphoplasty Helps Seniors End Pain | WABI TV5

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For many years, there were four vital signs: temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. But about 10 years ago, many in the medical profession began using a fifth vital sign: pain. While pain levels are subjective, patients in pain are now asked to rate their pain from zero to 10, with 10 being the worst.

Identifying patients’ pain levels is good, but this may have contributed to an increase in prescribed pain medications, rather than working to cure the pain’s underlying cause.

“We prefer to find a method that controls or eliminates somebody’s pain without the use of those medications on a long-term basis,” said Dr. Ben Zolper of Northeast Pain Management.

NPM’s mission is “to provide the highest quality of interventional pain and minimally invasive spine surgery services,” according to its Web site. “We provide care at all times and a cure where possible.”

NPM does many on-the-spot X-ray-guided procedures to relieve spinal pain, disc-related pain, joint pain, and arthritis, with a focus on identifying the sources of pain. X-rays work fine for many spine and joint injections, but when it comes to soft tissue, ultrasound is an important diagnostic advance.