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How did John Kennedy's back pain affect his life and death?
1963165438+1October 22nd, shortly before Kennedy was assassinated, he was in the presidential limousine in Dallas, Texas. Victor Hugo King, through the "KDSP" of the Printing and Photography Department of the Library of Congress, researchers pieced together a detailed story of John F. Kennedy's back pain, spinal surgery, medical evaluation and treatment for the first time. This analysis gives us a deeper understanding of the difference between the public image of the 35th President as a healthy and energetic person and his private reality as a person suffering almost continuously. "He is probably one of the most unhealthy presidents we have ever had," said T Glenn Hulse Pat, a neurosurgeon at the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Arkansas and director of the Jackson Stevens Institute of Spine and Neuroscience. Pater and his co-author, neurosurgeon Dr. Justin Dodi, published their report in Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine Today (July 1 1). Contrary to popular belief, the researchers said in their report,

Kennedy may not have been born with unstable lower back joints or compression fractures. They also believe that if Kennedy 10 didn't wear a seat belt in Dallas on October 22nd, he might not have been hit in the head. [5 surprising facts about pain]

Kennedy's back problems began when he was at Harvard. Although the actual injury situation is not clear, the researchers wrote that everyone agreed that he might have been injured while playing football at 1937. /kloc-drafted into the army in 0/940. Kennedy was eager to take part in World War II. He tried to join the army and tried to join the army, but both of them failed the medical examination because of back problems. At that time, Joseph Kennedy's father's political influence made Kennedy accepted by the navy.

The "KDSP" served in the navy, and Kennedy's back may be more seriously injured. After the PT- 109 ship he commanded was sunk by a Japanese destroyer, he helped save the lives of several crew members.

"Kennedy dragged a seriously injured crew member, the belt of life jacket was tightly clamped between his teeth, and he swam to a nearby island for five hours. This is a punishment. The author writes that the contradiction between "KDSP" and "KDSP" is that Kennedy's privileged position may lead him to undergo a controversial medical procedure, which eventually led to his first back operation, which led to more problems and pains. The author wrote: Many surgical techniques of KDSP are air myelography in Mayo Clinic, which is a diagnostic imaging procedure, including taking out spinal fluid, replacing it with air, and then X-ray examination. These bubbles appear on the X-ray film, indicating whether the intervertebral disc has bulging or other defects.

This process is not as accurate as using Pantopaque (oil-based dye). Compared with air, this dye has a good contrast on X-ray films, but because the dye is insoluble in water, it will remain in the human body, which will cause other complications over time, including nerve damage. [President's hidden illness]

"Perhaps because of Jack Kennedy's prominent position as a war hero and the son of Joseph Kennedy, air was chosen as the bone marrow contrast agent, rather than the more accurate and dangerous research conducted with Pantopaque, the author wrote:

Myelography images did not show obvious disc herniation, and doctors at Mayo Clinic advised Kennedy not to have surgery. However, in 1944, Kennedy had an operation on L4 and L5 intervertebral discs.

Although Pait and Dowdy can't see the X-ray images taken during the air myelography today, they can check the preoperative and postoperative X-rays of Kennedy's lower back. They concluded that Kennedy's spine looked normal and neatly arranged.

In the next seven years, Kennedy persisted in his political career despite his illness. To the public, the author writes that he looks confident, upright and smiling. But behind the scenes, he wears crutches and braces, receives physical therapy every day, and grits his teeth to survive the pain.

1954, Kennedy, then a U.S. senator, decided to have a second back operation. He installed a metal plate on his spine and fused it to provide stability for his lower back. Although the postoperative X-ray photos of that year showed that L5 intervertebral disc was compressed, Pait and Dowdy reported that there was no evidence of vertebral compression fracture, as suggested by historian Robert Dallek in his 2003 biography JFK.

Unfortunately, the operation did not relieve Kennedy's pain. If anything, it's worse. A year later, he had a third operation and took out the metal plate. 1957, diagnosed as lumbar abscess, underwent the fourth and last surgical resection. [10 Kennedy assassination theory]

During these years, Kennedy tried various drug treatments, including antibiotics and painkillers, including chloroethane spray, procaine trigger injection and vitamin mixture of illegal amphetamine derivatives mixed by Dr. Max Jacobson. Dr new york called him a "feel-good doctor" because of his unconventional treatment of pain.

Although these events happened more than 60 years ago, Pait said that little has changed.

"This is very similar to the opioid epidemic we see today," Pait told Life Science. People will say, "I can't stand back pain, doctor. You must do something."

How did it help in the end? It was not until the plastic surgeon and physicist Dr. Hans Kraus was called to the White House to evaluate Kennedy that the situation began to change. The president began to lift weights three times a week, swim every day, and receive * * * and heat treatment. "Within a few months, the improvement was dramatic," the author wrote.

But he won't give up his support, despite Klaus' urging. Kennedy wore it the day the motorcade passed through Dallas Delhi Square. Pat and Dodi want to know in the newspaper whether the protective gear can make Kennedy sit up straight after being shot in the neck by Lee Harvey Oswald. If Kennedy didn't wear it, he might curl forward, making it harder for Oswald to fire a second bullet and hit Kennedy in the head.

"His back pain tortured him all his life-his career and military career-and then it still affected his death, Pait said.

Originally published in Life Science.