Union County Chiropractic
The lumbar spine
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Tue, 05/07/2024 - 09:51The spine is divided into three areas: the cervical spine, which is, essentially, the neck; the thoracic spine, which is the upper back, and the lumbar spine, which is the lower back. The spinal cord runs through the individual vertebra — the bones that make up the spine — and nerves emanate between those bones to the various parts of the body, carrying signals from and to the brain.
Some causes of back pain
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Wed, 05/01/2024 - 15:53A car accident or other serious trauma, like a fall, are likely causes of back pain. But the pain can develop from a variety of sources that are not quite so obvious. Here are a few of the conditions that can play a role in creating back pain:
Spinal stenosis: a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord. It’s a condition often caused by arthritis. In the narrowed chamber, pressure can build on the spinal cord.
Study Says Use of Chiropractic Care Is Associated With Significantly Lower Risk of Filling an Opioid Prescription
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 04/22/2024 - 14:49The burden of spinal pain can be aggravated by the hazards of opioid analgesics, which are still widely prescribed for spinal pain despite evidence-based clinical guidelines that identify non-pharmacological therapies as the preferred first-line approach. Previous studies have found that chiropractic care is associated with decreased use of opioids, but have not focused on older Medicare beneficiaries, a vulnerable population with high rates of co-morbidity and polypharmacy.
Most Americans Have Never Tried Chiropractic Care: Part II
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Tue, 04/16/2024 - 10:00“Chiropractic care and physical therapy are among the best options we have for treating low back pain, and can help reduce reliance on treating pain with opioids and other pain medications,” said Eric J. Roseen, DC, PHD, Director of the Program for Integrative Medicine and Health Disparities at Boston Medical Center. “Guidelines released during the study period went from recommending these approaches as second line treatment, after other treatments fail, to first line treatment to be used before traditional pain medications.
Most Americans Have Never Tried Chiropractic Care: Part I
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 04/08/2024 - 16:57Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and a major driver of healthcare costs in the United States, according to the World Health organization. Over the last 20 years, recommended treatment of low back pain has shifted from use of pain medications including opioids to early use of nonpharmacologic treatments such as spinal manipulation and therapeutic exercise, which are commonly provided by chiropractors and physical therapists.
New Study Reveals Significant Reduction in Lumbar Spine Reoperation with Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Tue, 04/02/2024 - 22:27A new study conducted by researchers at University Hospitals (UH) Connor Whole Health sheds light on the potential benefits of chiropractic spinal manipulation (CSM) for adults experiencing ongoing sciatica following low back surgery. The study, titled “Association between spinal manipulative therapy and lumbar spine reoperation after discectomy: a retrospective cohort study,” was recently published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.
Good stretches for the back
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 03/25/2024 - 15:45Sciatica and pregnancy
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 03/18/2024 - 19:00Strengthen the core
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 03/11/2024 - 12:00Age with grace and health
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 11:49We are living longer and, if you play your cards right and have taken care of yourself, this is a wonderful thing. Good genes certainly help, but healthy lifestyle practices are just as important in continuing to live a productive life. Here are some tips the American Chiropractic Association recommends for aging with grace and health:
Chiropractic care and stress
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Tue, 02/27/2024 - 15:52Managing the stress in your life — and most of us have it to one degree or another — is essential to keeping a healthy lifestyle.
Stress comes from many directions and makes itself known in a variety of ways. It might show up as a headache, tight muscles, nausea or back pain. It’s generally caused by outside factors, some obvious, like fretting over financial problems, and others not so much, maybe even planning for a joyous occasion like an impending wedding.
Take a Walk
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 02/19/2024 - 17:07Chiropractic Care For Pain Relief — Harvard Health
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 02/12/2024 - 15:31Spinal manipulation is a primary therapy, but the number of treatment options is expanding.
Chiropractic is a system of therapy focused on the structure of the body, particularly the spine. Chiropractors manipulate the body’s alignment to relieve pain and improve function and to help the body heal itself.
Chiropractic Care As An Alternative To Opioid Analgesia For Spinal Pain
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Tue, 02/06/2024 - 16:23Several non-pharmacological therapies — including spinal manipulation, therapeutic exercise, and relaxation techniques — are typically offered by chiropractors, and are recommended as first-line or adjunctive therapy for spinal pain. The utilization of chiropractic care has been reported to be associated with reduced risk of adverse drug events in adults with spinal pain. Large scale observational studies have found that chiropractic care is associated with decreased use of opioids.
Chiropractic In The Military
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 01/29/2024 - 18:25The very nature of the job puts soldiers at an increased risk for developing chronic pain. The regular demands and stress are often multiplied when the tough-it-out mentality does not seek medical attention until serious, chronic pain results ... and it often does. Cumulative stress, single-event trauma, and surgery are all contributing factors. Although these will likely remain a constant of military service, chiropractic care may be a very helpful solution.
Opioids No More Effective Than Placebo For Acute Back And Neck Pain
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Wed, 01/24/2024 - 10:53Expanded Access To Chiropractic Care For Veterans
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Tue, 01/16/2024 - 15:06Reduced likelihood of prescriptions in U.S. adults receiving chiropractic spinal manipulation for low back pain
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 15:39A new study published in BMJ Open sheds light on potential benefits of chiropractic care for adults with radicular low back pain (i.e., sciatica). The study looked at the relationship between chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (CSMT) and the prescription of gabapentin, an off-label treatment for radicular low back pain.
Chiropractic care included as part of the ”gold standard” for treatment of chronic pain by experts
Submitted by Dr. Darrell Johnson on Mon, 01/01/2024 - 20:29The pendulum of opioid prescribing for pain has swung sharply in the last decade, as the epidemic of opioid overuse, addiction and overdose has led policy makers and health care providers to ratchet back on the prescriptions patients receive.
But for about 5 million Americans who have taken prescription opioids for years to address their chronic pain, that pendulum swing has led to trouble getting refills, finding new providers when their former ones retire or relocate, or getting access to multi-modal pain care that goes beyond pills.