Back Pain Requires Custom Approach
Not all back pain is the same, so the treatment for back pain shouldn't be the same either. That may seem like common sense but now scientists are beginning to understand the truth behind that idea.
Read MoreNot all back pain is the same, so the treatment for back pain shouldn't be the same either. That may seem like common sense but now scientists are beginning to understand the truth behind that idea.
Read MoreA study from the prestigious medical journal The Annals of Internal Medicine reports that chiropractic is more effective for neck pain than medication. In the study, 272 patients with acute or subacute neck pain were given one of three treatments: medication, exercise with the advice of a health practitioner, or chiropractic care. After 12 weeks of treatment, patients in the chiropractic and exercise groups experienced the most pain reduction.
Read MoreAs we age, our knees begin to show signs of wear and tear, and studies show that an increasing number of middle-aged people are seeking total knee-replacement surgery. While there have been improvements in the surgical techniques, the procedure is still invasive and costly.
Read MoreA new study from Egypt reports that chiropractic care can be an effective treatment strategy for fibromyalgia treatment with chiropractic care. The study involved 120 people between the ages of 40 and 65 who had suffered with severe fibromyalgia for four years or more. Each person rated their pain as a 4 or higher on a pain scale and also had limited movement in their cervical (neck area) spine, specifically in their C1-C2 area. All of the individuals participating in this study engaged in 12 weeks of therapy which included: An education program (one two-hour session per week) designed to provide the participant with more information about fibromyalgia and available treatment options; Cognitive behavioral therapy (one two-hour session per week) which involved discussion regarding pain management via relaxation exercises, challenging treatment-prohibitive beliefs about fibromyalgia, and positive reinforcement about what types of actions can be taken to ease fibromyalgia symptoms; and An exercise program (three one-hour sessions per week plus 20-minute session twice daily at home) which included relaxation techniques, as well as active and passive stretches. One-half of the individuals were also randomly assigned to a treatment group, which meant that they also engaged in upper cervical chiropractic adjustments.
Read MorePatients with acute low back pain rarely take sick leave but frequently develop chronic symptoms, a study from the journal Spine suggests. In the study, researchers worked with 605 acute low-back pain patients with and without sciatica who were being treated in a primary-care setting. The patients were evaluated for initial pain and disability levels.
Read MoreA recent study from Iranian researchers found that there might be a link between blood levels of magnesium and migraine headaches.1 Researchers looked at 50 migraine patients and 50 healthy subjects with no history of migraine. The migraine patients had average magnesium levels of 1.86 mg/dl, while the healthy subjects had magnesium levels of 2.10 mg/dl. The researchers didn't find any variation in magnesium levels in patients during or between headache attacks. Other research has confirmed a relationship between magnesium serum levels and migraine, and some headache experts recommend magnesium supplementation for migraine sufferers.2 Chiropractic has been shown to be an effective treatment for migraines, and your chiropractor can help you choose nutritional supplements and dietary changes that might be beneficial in reducing or eliminating migraines. Samaie A, Asghari N, Ghorbani R, Arda J.
Read MoreThis study based used a practice-based, observational model to look at the effectiveness of intervention in a selected group of patients with both acute and chronic lower back pain (LBP). It compared the efficacy of chiropractic intervention with standard medical care in both types of LBP. 2780 patients were enrolled in the study over a 2-year period (1994 to 1996) from the practices of 60 DCs (1855 patients) and 111 MDs (925 patients) in 51 chiropractic and 14 general practice clinics.
Read MoreSciatica pain is often so debilitating that it forces people to miss work and other normal activities. Of all patients with low-back pain, sciatica patients have the highest level of disability (1).
Read MoreLow back pain is a very common condition, and one that is very expensive for our health care system. Experts estimate that chronic back pain costs the US about $100 billion each year in direct and indirect costs.
Read MoreThe pain of sciatica often drives patients to opt for surgery. But new research suggests that chiropractic treatment can be just as effective as surgery in some cases of sciatica.
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