A recent case study involved a 34-year-old man suffering from several years of obstructive sleep apnea who underwent a trial of chiropractic care. His sleep apnea caused daytime drowsiness, low energy levels, and loud snoring. The patient added that he was unable to breathe while sleeping without the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. After three months of chiropractic care that included skilled spinal manipulation and diet modifications, he reported an improvement in his symptoms and was able to discontinue the use of his CPAP machine. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research, February 2014 If you suffer from […]

Chinese researchers evaluated questionnaires completed by 3,600 high school students and found that 41.1% had experienced neck/shoulder pain and 32.8% had experienced back pain during the previous year. The researchers identified physical inactivity (increased sedentary behavior / low levels of physical exercise), heavy backpacks, mental stress, and insufficient sleep as risk factors for neck, shoulder, and back pain in the high school student population. Journal of the Chinese Medical Association, October 2014 If you have a teenage son or daughter that spends a lot of time on the computer or gaming, they fall into this group, and if they don’t […]

A new case study demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of chiropractic care in the management of intervertebral disk bulges with radiculopathy. A 45-year-old woman with low back and right leg pain consistent with L4 nerve root entrapment received ten treatments of skilled spinal and extremity manipulation followed by exercise and myofascial therapy for an additional 12 visits. After treatment, she reported significant improvement in back and leg pain. The results suggest chiropractic care can be an effective and safe tool in management of such conditions. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, November 2014 Radiculopathy is a shooting or radiating pain […]

A retrospective cohort study has revealed that the risk of injury to the head, neck, or trunk following a visit to the chiropractor is lower than following an office visit for evaluation by a primary care physician. The findings come from Medicare data on patients 66 to 99 years of age. The investigators found that the risk of injury was 40 incidents per 100,000 subjects who visited a chiropractor, as compared to 153 incidents per 100,000 subjects who received care at a medical doctor’s office. The finding supports the relative safety of chiropractic care for seniors. Spine, December 2014

A Chinese study involving 1,747 residents from two local communities found that occupational exposure to vibrations can increase an individual’s risk for nonspecific low back pain by nearly 50%. Journal of Southern Medical University, December 2014