The hallmark of chiropractic treatment is the spinal adjustment, a manipulation of the vertebrae — the individual bones that make up the spine. The purpose of the adjustment is to make sure those bones, through which the spinal cord stretches, are properly aligned. That’s important because the nerves that carry information from the brain to various parts of the body emanate from the spine, and reach out between the vertebrae.

Generally, after the start of any new sort of physical activity you may feel a little soreness. Starting chiropractic treatment can yield the same result. So if you are among the roughly 30 million people who see chiropractors each year, welcome to the club. The most common side effect of chiropractic treatment is slight soreness.

Big bags — hobos, totes, messengers, the names change over years — are always in style. They’re functional, too, because they can hold a lot of, well, stuff. But that’s precisely where the risk can come in. Slung over one shoulder, they can eventually cause neck and shoulder pain similar to the kind of problem chiropractors see in kids who carry ill-fitting heavy backpacks. Women — and men — carrying such bags are contorting their posture to counterbalance a heavy bag that is pulling on one side. This can wreak havoc with muscles and with the spine.

After the experience of a nine-month pregnancy and delivery, few of life’s pleasures measure up to taking the new baby out to meet the world. That could be in the form of a walk, run or hike. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has some thoughts for you to keep in mind on how to best enjoy that experience and avoid injury.

Workers who lift for a living need to take longer or more frequent breaks than they now do to avoid back injury, according to a new study at Ohio State University. The study also suggests that people who are new on the job need to take breaks even more often than experienced workers, and that the risk of injury is higher at the end of a work shift.

Despite the high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy, few women in
underserved populations receive treatment for their low back pain. Moreover, researchers
found that pain in a previous pregnancy may predict a high risk for musculoskeletal
complaints in future pregnancies. 85 percent of women who experienced pain in a previous
pregnancy reported pain during their current pregnancy.

Chiropractic services are part of the Standard Medical Benefits Package available to all eligible veterans. Similar to other specialties, access to VA chiropractic services is by referral from a VA primary care or specialty provider. VA provides these services on-site at one or more VA facilities in each Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN). VA facilities that do not have on-site chiropractic clinics provide these services via the VA Community Care Program or other community care mechanisms.

Here are more strategies to prevent injuries when lifting and carrying luggage:

• If using a backpack, make sure it has two padded and adjustable shoulder straps. Choose one with several compartments to secure various-sized items, packing the heavier things low and towards the center. Always wear a backpack on both shoulders—slinging it over one shoulder does not allow weight to be distributed evenly, which can cause muscle strain.

According to the U.S. Consumer Products safety Commission, in one year more than 50,000 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms, doctors’ offices, clinics and other medical settings for injuries related to luggage.

Here are some strategies to prevent injuries when lifting and carrying luggage:

• Pack lightly. when possible, pack items in a few smaller bags instead of one large luggage piece. It is better—and may prevent muscle sprains and strains—to carry a lighter bag in each hand rather than one heavy bag in one hand or over one shoulder.

Here are some simple guidelines to prevent any unnecessary backpack-related injuries to your child throughout the school year:

Good posture is the correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of muscle tension against gravity. Without posture and the muscles that control it, we would simply fall to the ground. Several muscle groups, including the hamstrings and large back muscles, are critically important in maintaining good posture. While the ligaments help to hold the skeleton together, these postural muscles, when functioning properly, prevent the forces of gravity from pushing us over forward.

Poor posture can lead to excessive strain on our postural muscles and may even cause them to lose tone when held in certain positions for long periods of time. For example, you can typically see this in people who bend forward at the waist for a prolonged time in the workplace. Their postural muscles are more prone to injury and back pain.

Chiropractic colleges accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) offer Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree programs. (CCE is the agency certified by the U.S. Department of education to accredit chiropractic colleges in the United States.) Admission to a chiropractic college requires a minimum of 90 semester hour credits of undergraduate study, mostly in the sciences.

Spinal adjustment/manipulation is a core treatment in chiropractic care, and it is synonymous with chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors commonly use other treatments in addition to spinal manipulation, and may combine the use of spinal adjustments and other manual therapies with several other treatments and approaches such as:

Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on the relationship between the body’s structure—mainly the spine—and its functioning. Although practitioners may use a variety of treatment approaches, they primarily perform adjustments (manipulations) to the spine or other parts of the body with the goal of correcting alignment problems, alleviating pain, improving function, and supporting the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Scientists have discovered that a majority of back-pain patients they tested who were taking opioid painkillers produced anti-opioid antibodies. These antibodies may contribute to some of the negative side effects of long-term opioid use.

A new study published in BMJ Open, an online publication of the British Medical Journal, examined the association of initial provider treatment with early and long-term opioid use in a national sample of patients with new-onset low back pain (LBP). The study evaluated outpatient and inpatient claims from patient visits, pharmacy claims and inpatient and outpatient procedures with initial providers seen for new-onset LBP.

When you push someone in a wheelchair, you may be hurting your back without knowing it. Researchers measured the forces on the spine caused by pushing a wheelchair, and discovered that people aren’t good at judging when they’re exerting forces strong enough to hurt their back. The study appears in the journal Ergonomics.

One of the best things you can do to prevent and/or eliminate back pain is to exercise. Both an inactive lifestyle and being overweight contribute to back pain. Exercise benefits you in so many ways, such as lowering blood pressure, helping you maintain a healthy weight, lowering your risk for diabetes, and the list goes on!

Orthotics can help you maintain a healthy spine by stabilizing the lower extremities and pelvis. Devices that you wear in your shoes, orthotics align all three arches of your foot to provide a balanced foundation for your spine and body.

A new Gallup-Palmer survey that tested public assumptions about chiropractic care discovered that a lack of knowledge about health insurance coverage for chiropractic care and sensitivity toward costs may be preventing some adults in the United States from using chiropractic services. Nearly half of U.S. adults reported not knowing whether their insurance plans covered chiropractic care. In addition to uncertainty about insurance coverage, the survey found that perceptions about the cost of chiropractic care could also be a factor preventing some individuals from seeking it.