The very nature of their jobs puts soldiers at an increased risk for developing chronic pain. The regular demands and stress are often multiplied when the tough-it-out mentality causes them to avoid seeking 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.

There aren’t many large studies on the value of chiropractic treatment in managing migraines. One study examined chiropractic treatment for different types of headaches, including migraines. The study combined the results of 22 previous studies, which had more than 2,600 patients total. The studies show that chiropractic treatment may serve as a good preventive treatment for migraines.

Kyphosis is the forward curvature or “hunch” of the upper spine that sometimes occurs in older adults. Your chiropractor may use a type of spinal manipulation—also called a spinal adjustment—to improve joint motion. Spinal manipulation is an active, hands-on treatment, and there are multiple variations of this technique.

The classic sign of kyphosis is a rounded (hump-like) middle back. Chiropractic care is a nonsurgical treatment option for kyphosis. It can help treat pain, stiffness, and other kyphosis symptoms. Generally, the initial step in chiropractic treatment for kyphosis is to determine the cause of the abnormal middle back appearance.

Researchers have found that poor back muscle quality is not associated with worsening kyphosis (forward curvature or “hunch” of the upper spine) in older adults.

The researchers used computed tomography (CT) scans to measure spinal curvature in 1,087 men and women aged 50-85 years to determine whether age-related decline in trunk muscle size and quality contributes to the worsening of kyphosis.

Are you experiencing these symptoms?
• low back pain
• buttock soreness
• radiating leg and thigh pain
• pain while sitting
• tightness, burning, or feeling of a knot
• gluteal pain while driving

Here are the risk factors for developing these recurring and chronic pains:
• poor fitness levels and spinal stability (core muscle strength)
• poor posture
• previous episodes of back pain
• pain for more than 8 days

The piriformis muscle is located deep in the buttock. It reaches from the pelvis (sacrum) to the upper part of the thigh-bone (femur).

There are times when this muscle goes into spasm. The cause is often related to the spine or sacroiliac joints, or from overuse. If the muscle is in spasm it can cause neurological symptoms such as pain, numbness, pins and needles, tingling and weakness due to compression of the sciatic nerve. This is called piriformis syndrome.

The piriformis muscle, located deep in the buttock, can cause a great deal of pain if it goes into spasm. The chiropractic approach to diagnosing this syndrome includes a full evaluation of your spine and pelvis and the related musculature. A functional, orthopedic and neurological examination is normally also performed.

A new study confirms that rocker bottom shoes help strengthen back muscles, improving the spine’s curvature and thus reducing low back pain.

Sports physiotherapy researchers have confirmed, in a new study of their research work into back pain, that unstable shoes improve the strength of back muscles in order to maintain balance and stability when walking. This muscular strengthening contributes to reducing low-intensity chronic low back pain, which can be disabling for those who suffer it.

A call to action on lower back pain remedies has been issued by prominent international researchers in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. They recommend:

• coordinated international leadership to drive transformational change across health and social services and occupational settings to stop fragmented and outdated models of care

• development of evidence-based medical responses to low back pain emphasizing the concept of ‘positive health’—the ability to adapt and self-manage in the face of social, physical and emotional challenges

A series of groundbreaking research reports in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet warn that low back pain is a major health burden globally—across developed and developing nations—and that the current use of X-rays and scans, opioids, injections and surgery to investigate and treat the condition is useless, unnecessary and harmful.

Traveling can be rough on the body. Whether you are traveling alone on business, or on your way to a sunny resort with your family, long hours in a car or on an airplane can leave you stressed, tired, stiff and sore.

A large percentage of patients with knee, hip and spine osteoarthritis use opioids to manage their chronic pain, especially those who are younger or have symptoms of depression, according to new research findings. Osteoarthritis, or OA, is the most common joint disease affecting middle-aged and older people. It is characterized by progressive damage to the joint cartilage—the cushioning material at the end of long bones—and causes changes in the structures around the joint.

Rainy weather has long been blamed for achy joints. Unjustly so, according to new research from Harvard Medical School. The analysis found no relationship between rainfall and joint or back pain.

With the steep costs associated with prescription drugs, chiropractic’s conservative approach makes economic sense as well. A 2012 study found that spinal manipulation for neck and back pain was cost-effective, used either alone or combined with other therapies first.

Another study based on Washington state workers found that 42.7 percent of people who visited a surgeon first for work-related back pain eventually had surgery, compared to only 1.5 percent of those who visited a chiropractor first.

It was once believed that taking pain medication and getting some rest and relaxation were the best course of treatment for a bout of low-back pain, but nowadays research supports first trying drug-free, conservative options for pain management while remaining as active as possible during recuperation.

The new "Job For Our Heroes Act" is a provision allowing chiropractors working within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to perform physical exams on veterans needing a medical certificate to operate a commercial motor vehicle.

“The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is committed to improving the health of our veterans by removing barriers and expanding access to chiropractors in the VA as well as other federal programs,” said ACA President David Herd, DC.

A few interesting facts about back pain: low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the global Burden of disease 2010. Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work. In fact, back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year. Experts estimate that as much as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives.

With today’s growing emphasis on quality care, clinical outcomes and cost effectiveness, spinal manipulation is receiving increased attention.

Spinal manipulation by a chiropractor is a safe and effective spine pain treatment. It reduces pain (decreasing the need for medication in some cases), rapidly advances physical therapy, and requires very few passive forms of treatment, such as bed rest.

In a Journal of the American Geriatrics Society study, many well-functioning and highly active older adults experienced back pain, which was linked with poorer perceived and observed walking endurance.