Back pain hurts the bottom line, too

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Michael Melton

Back pain will affect nearly 80% of Americans at some point in their lifetime, and as anyone who has dealt with back pain can tell you, it can be impossible to work effectively during a bad back pain episode. So it’s no real surprise to learn that this and other pain syndromes cost companies significantly in lost productivity. The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study back in 2003 that estimated that common pain conditions – including back pain, headaches, arthritis, and other musculoskeletal pain – cost companies more that $61 billion per year in reduced productivity. In that study, the authors found that the problem was not people staying home from work to recover, but the fact that they were able to work at only a reduced capacity.

A new study looked at the effects of chronic back pain on European workers. The Pain Proposal European Consensus Report, which was sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, found that among a study group of over 2,000 pain sufferers in 15 European countries, 61% reported that their pain directly affected their employment status in some way, with 21% stating that chronic pain led to total unemployment. The study points to a lack of awareness and proper health channels for people dealing with chronic pain, and suggests that by focusing efforts on the treatment of these chronic conditions, the cost savings can be tremendous.

Want to learn more about chiropractic solutions to chronic back pain for the office or workplace? This video on the website of Dr. Carl Heusler in New Carrollton, MD gives a good introduction.

Posted in Back Pain, Chiropractic Studies, Occupational pain | 1 Comment

October is National Chiropractic Health Month!

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Michael Melton

It’s the first day of October, which not only means you had better get cracking on your Halloween costume–it’s National Chiropractic Health Month. This nationwide observance aims to “raise public awareness of the benefits of chiropractic care and its natural, whole-person, patient-centered approach to health and wellness,” according to the American Chiropractic Association, which has sponsored events for the past five years.

This year’s theme for the month, Why Weight? Get Healthy!,  focuses on how chiropractors can assist patients who are experiencing pain conditions related to or exacerbated by their weight. With the majority of Americans now considered either overweight or obese, chiropractors are well-placed to advise patients about how lifestyle changes can improve all aspects of their health. Check out the ACA’s website to get tips on how to work with patients to achieve their healthy weight goals and for a promotional toolkit to spread the word in your community.

And for more information about nutrition and how it relates to chiropractic, visit this link from one of our client sites, Dr. Sheila Ghaziaskar in beautiful Santa Monica, CA.

Posted in Obesity and Weight Loss | Leave a comment

Is your laptop causing back pain?

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Michael Melton

Good story on Colorado Daily today about a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill that found rampant laptop use might be giving college students chronic pain. Neck pain, back pain, and arm issues like carpal tunnel syndrome are on the increase among college students who are much younger than the typical candidates for this pain. Although long-term desktop computer use has been implicated in some pain conditions, according to these experts, the hours spent in a scrunched position that laptop use dictates can cause bad posture that leads very quickly to headaches, neck pain, tendonitis, and other issues. The researchers refer to the condition as “laptopitis.”

How to avoid laptopitis when you have a heavy course load? The authors recommend you take breaks every 20 minutes or so to get up, walk around, and stretch your muscles. When possible, set your laptop on a desk or table when using it for any lengthy periods, so that you can sit in an ergonomically correct position. And for big projects, try using a desktop computer, if possible.

For students who are already experiencing pain that may be due to laptop use, seeking out help as soon as possible after the initial onset of pain is key to preventing long-term damage. Chiropractors who are experienced in dealing with CTS, neck, and back pain will be able to diagnose your symptoms and recommend some lifestyle changes or paths of treatment.

Posted in Back Pain, Chiropractic Studies, Elbow Pain, Headaches, Neck Pain, Teens | 1 Comment

Study Shows Massage’s Benefit to Immune System

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Michael Melton

Many people tout the benefits of massage as a stress-relieving technique. But little is known about what actually happens in the body chemically during and just after a massage. Researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles looked into just that, and their results, published in the September issue of the Journal of Alternative and Contemporary Medicine, suggest that at least some types of massage can have a powerful effect on the immune system.

The 53 healthy study participants each signed up for a 45-minute massage, with 29 randomly assigned to receive a deep-tissue Swedish massage, while the remaining 24 patients received a light touch session. Blood samples were taken from all the participants before and just after their massage session, and these were analyzed for hormones and lymphocytes.

The study authors found that participants who had Swedish massage also had slightly reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol and significantly reduced arginine vasopressin, which regulates blood pressure. The findings suggest that even a single massage session may have a significant impact on a patient’s inflammation and autoimmune system, and begin to explain why you feel so good after that massage.

If you want to learn more about the healing effects of massage, check out some articles from our archives on the website of Dr. Guadalupe Nunez in Mesa, AZ.

Posted in Chiropractic Studies | 1 Comment

Chiropractic’s Insurance Gap

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Michael Melton

An interesting story today in the Los Angeles Times explores a common frustration for both chiropractic patients and practitioners: insufficient insurance coverage for complementary and alternative medical therapies (CAM), including chiropractic. As the article points out, although consumer interest in CAM has increased steadily and although research has backed up the cost-effectiveness of many types of these therapies, major insurance plans still offer very limited coverage.

This is in spite of the fact that alternative medicine is rapidly moving into the mainstream. Americans spend more than $33 billion annually on complementary treatments, amounting to just over 11% of the total out-of-pocket health care spending in the United States, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health.

People who have good insurance plans through their employers increasingly expect and are demanding coverage for chiropractic services, but the situation can be even more frustrating for individuals with private insurance, whose access to any services outside of standard medical care is more limited.

The article offers some helpful tips on how patients should proceed if they find a treatment they want, and that works for them, is not covered under their insurance.

A recent study conducted by Harvard Medical School Researchers found that among different CAM therapies, chiropractic treatments and massage were especially beneficial to patients experiencing back pain. You can read more about this study via one of our client sites, Dr. Greg Kangleon in San Diego, CA.

Posted in Back Pain, Chiropractic Studies, Insurance | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Healing Power of Ginger

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Michael Melton

To follow up on our post yesterday about certain foods that ease or exacerbate back pain, a study in the latest issue of the Journal of Pain confirms the pain-relieving power of ginger (link via Time‘s Healthland blog).

In a double-blind, randomized study, volunteers were given either raw or cooked ginger, or a placebo for 11 days, and performed exercises intended to cause pain and inflammation in the elbow. Participants who had taken either form of ginger experienced significant pain reduction when compared to the placebo group–by as much as 25%. The study gives some scientific backing to ginger’s use as a homeopathic remedy for pain relief.

Posted in Elbow Pain, Nutrition | Tagged | Leave a comment

Back Pain Relief in a Bowl of Cherries

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Michael Melton

Back pain is the most common reason people seek out the aid of a chiropractor, and when they do, most are looking for a mechanical solution. While spinal adjustments and other direct forms of treatment can have a powerful affect on back pain, many of our client doctors also will consider the impact of nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight. A holistic approach to pain relief will include an evaluation of the role food plays in a patient’s health.

The latest issue of Reader’s Digest lists some common foods that may help ease chronic back pain, and a few that may exacerbate the condition. Among the winners:

  • Cherries
  • Green Tea
  • Canned salmon
  • Olive oil

The article authors advise people with back pain to stay away from vegetable oils, processed foods, products containing high-fructose corn syrup, and more.

For more information about chiropractic and nutrition, check out this article via one of our client sites, Dr. Gabrielle Freedman in Quincy, MA.

Posted in Back Pain, Nutrition | 1 Comment

Common Supplements No Better Than Placebo for Joint Pain

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Michael Melton

There have been a few recent studies debunking the effectiveness of the commonly recommended supplement glucosamine. In August, we wrote about a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found glucosamine provided no additional pain relief to patients with lower back pain (view article via one of our client site, Dr. Mark Surles, a chiropractor in Brewton, Alabama).

Now a second study, published in the British Medical Journal, questions the use of both glucosamine and chondroitin for patients with joint pain. Researchers reviewed the results of trials conducted at Switzerland’s Bern University on 3,800 patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. They found the two supplements, used singly or together, offered no greater pain relief than a placebo.

What does help relieve knee and hip pain? As we reported earlier this month, a preliminary study of patients waiting for arthroplasty found that chiropractic treatment during the waiting period helped significantly decrease pain levels. You can an article on this study through Dr. Diane Bottary  in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Posted in Hip Pain, Knee Pain, Supplements | 2 Comments

Write yourself out of back pain…or break out the gin

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Michael Melton

We have a new article today on a really intriguing study in the journal Chiropractic & Osteopathy that looked at how fear-avoidance–the fear of pain, rather than actual pain–can impact a patient’s recovery from a low-back injury.  The study found that a patient’s perception after an initial consultation with a chiropractor could largely predict how positive or negative their eventual outcome would be.  Check out the article through one of our client sites, Dr. Daniel Benko in Schererville, IN.

The study was notable for investigating the way our perception of how able we are to manage our own health and recovery can actually determine the extent of that healing. Belief in a remedy or treatment can be a powerful aid, while a negative attitude or a belief that nothing will help can actually increase our perception of pain and reduce the likelihood of total recovery, a self-fulfilling cycle that can lead to long-term disability. Many chiropractors have long stressed this wholistic healing approach–treating both mind and body. But in many ways, just feeling like you have some active control over your physical condition can make you feel better, as two recent stories show.

A piece by Julie Deardorff in the Chicago Tribune delves into the benefits of journal-writing for back pain sufferers. She looks at a program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Center for Integrative Medecine and Wellness that encourages patients to write about their pain. By doing so, patients can investigate triggers they might otherwise miss, and relieve stress that may be adding to pain.

If journal-writing isn’t your thing, however, The Dallas Morning News investigated another popular home remedy for back pain: gin-soaked raisins.

Posted in Back Pain, Chiropractic Studies | Leave a comment

Do 3-D Movies Cause Headaches?

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Michael Melton

The Boston Globe ran an interesting article last week about the possible effects that 3-D technology might have on consumers. As movies featuring 3-D, like this summer’s Toy Story 3 and Piranha 3D, become more commonplace, some viewers have reported bouts of nausea and headaches after watching these films. The article reports that:

At a recent screening of “Piranha 3D’’ in Boston, most of the 20 or so moviegoers reported feeling mild dizziness or headaches after watching the movie.

The use of 3-D technology is only set to expand from theaters into our homes–Samsung has introduced 3-D television sets and Sony will release a 3-D laptop in 2011. The concern is that this technology could further strain people’s eyes, which are already fatigued by a multitude of other screen-based activities. A few months ago, we wrote about how screen use may be contributing to headaches in teens (check it out on one of our client sites, Dr. Carry in Manhattan Beach, CA), and this new trend seems likely to add to this growing problem.

Posted in Headaches | Leave a comment