JAMA Suggests Chiropractic for Low Back Pain

Arlington, Va.- An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests patients try chiropractic services for the treatment of low back pain. According to the article, surgery is not usually needed and should only be considered if more conservative therapies fail. The information in JAMA reinforces the American Chiropractic Association's (ACA) position that conservative care options should serve as a first line of defense against pain.

The article, part of JAMA's Patient Page public education series, explains that the back is made up of bones, nerves, muscles and other soft tissues such as ligaments and tendons that support posture and give the body flexibility. Back pain can be caused by problems with any of the structures in the back.

As neuromusculoskeletal experts, chiropractic physicians are particularly well suited to manage and help prevent low back pain.

"We are encouraged to see JAMA suggest patients try chiropractic and other more conservative types of treatment for their back pain. In many cases pain can be alleviated without the use of unnecessary drugs or surgery, so it makes sense to exhaust conservative options first," said ACA President Keith Overland, DC.

"Research confirms that the services provided by chiropractic physicians are not only clinically effective but also cost-effective, so taking a more conservative approach at the onset of low back pain can also potentially save both patients and the health care system money down the line," he added.

For those who are currently pain-free, the exercise tips, posture recommendations and guidance on injury prevention routinely provided by chiropractic physicians can help people maintain a healthy back throughout their lives. To learn more about chiropractic care in Cary, NC, visit www.spinecarenc.com.

Chiropractors Better Than Drugs For Neck Pain

According to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of Health, medication is not the best option for treating neck pain.

After following 272 neck-pain patients for 12 weeks, those who used a chiropractor or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free compared to those who took medication.

Due to their comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management, numerous sources of evidence have shown that chiropractic management is much safer and often more effective than allopathic medical treatments, particularly for back and neck pain.

Unequal Leg Length Tied to Arthritis

Check out this article: Unequal Leg Length Tied to Osteoarthritis about how having one leg shorter than another can cause arthritic changes in the knee.  I am sure that if it can cause this in the knee that it is surely not good for the hips and spine either.  Also please note that we are talking about anatomically unequal leg length, not to be confused with a functional leg length.  Anatomical differences are actual bone length differences that will show up at the level of the pelvis and base of spine as a tilt and can be accurately measured with a specific standing x-ray.  Functional differences are due to things like muscle spasm and will not show up on x-ray but rather when a chiropractor might lay you down on a table and eyeball your feet to see if they are equal.  Although there is a time and place for the functional approach, be aware that this measurement is highly unreliable and often very different from your true structural measurement.  SpineCare Chiropractic is one of only a few that will accurately measure anatomical differences on x-ray should we suspect a difference.  This simple measurement and the subsequent correction could prevent arthritic changes.

Adult Scoliosis - Some Can Benefit from Flexible Bracing

In some cases of adult scoliosis, flexible bracing can be used to decrease pain, improve posture, and/or prevent progression of the scoliosis from worsening. 

Spinecor Adult Brace Treatment Objectives

1. Pain: The primary treatment objective of the SpineCor Pain Relief Back Brace is most often pain relief; however, postural improvement is directly related to pain relief and therefore should also be considered as a secondary objective.

2. Posture: Often, the posture changes seen, such as improvements in spinal decompensations, are responsible for stabilization or correction of progression and reductions in pain.

3. Progression: Correction/Stabilization of Spinal Deformities/Misalignments. In such cases, radiological evaluations are advised to optimize treatment. Radiological objectives may include optimization of spinal balance, reduction of spinal decompositions and reduction of Cobb angles. Please note significant correction of Cobb angles in adults will rarely be possible and therefore should not be the primary or only treatment objective. Posture: Clinically appraised desirable postural changes will be patient specific and defined by both clinical and radiological

In other cases, bracing is not needed, and our mixture of chiropractic and scoliosis rehabilitation will be enough to get the desired results.

For more information on treatment of scoliosis for both adults and children visit the Scoliosis Center of North Carolina and Scoliosis Specialists.

SpineCare Chiropractic Articles

Have a look at a few of the new articles on our website!  Many more coming soon.  Let us know if you have any suggestions for future one.

Chiropractors in Cary NC | SpineCare Chiropractic Articles

Spinal Forces Determine Genetic Expression of Your Discs

A recent study in The Spine Journal showed that the type of forces that your spine experiences determine what the intervertebral disc cells will do. Scientists found that heavy loads activated genes that told the disc cells to slow down their breakdown cycle. Moderate loads over a prolonged time however signaled a quicker turnover of the cells.

What this means to you and I is that moderate but repetitive compressive loads to the spine (such as a repetitive lifting job) tend to lead to quicker and more advanced disc disease than individuals who experience heavy but infrequent compressive loads (such as a weight lifter).  Your gym workout is not contributing to a bad back, it is in fact preventing you from developing one! 

Gwendolyn A. Sowa, J. Paulo Coelho, Kevin M. Bell et al (2010). "Alterations in gene expression in response to compression of nucleus pulposus cells." The Spine Journal 11(1) pp. 36-43; doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2010.09.01

Chiropractic for Headaches

The most common type of headaches are tension type headaches, and the most common cause of these is misalignment of the cervical vertebrae (neck bones). Unfortunately many individuals aren't aware of this fact and when pain relievers fail to help, seek out advanced medical treatment. They are surprised when the CT scan, MRI, EEG, and all other tests are "normal" despite the continued discomfort. Our approach is different. We first look at the most common cause and pursue conservative corrective care if we find a major misalignment that we can fix. Not only does this solve the problem the majority of the time, but it also is safer, less costly, and long-lasting. Makes sense to us. Learn more about headache treatment.