The goal of chiropractic care for degenerative disc disease (DDD) is to improve joint mechanics by improving spinal motion and reducing inflammation. The chiropractor may also work on improving the function of the intervertebral discs—but that’s only if you do not have advanced disc degeneration.

At your initial exam, you’ll go through your past medical history with the chiropractor, and he or she will determine areas of restricted joint motion, disc injury, muscle spasm, and ligament injury by performing a few simple tests.

Your chiropractor will also look at how you walk, as well as your overall posture. Those details will help him or her understand your body mechanics and how your spine moves.

Researchers have reported that one-third of people 40-59 years of age have image-based evidence of moderate to severe degenerative disc disease and more than half had moderate to severe spinal osteoarthritis. Beyond that, the prevalence of disc height narrowing and joint osteoarthritis increased 2- to 4-fold in those aged 60-69 and 70-89, respectively. Furthermore, scientists observed that progression of these conditions occurred 40 - 70% more frequently in women than in men.

Back pain, especially chronic back pain, can make life miserable; this condition is quite common in the military. Randomized trials have found that spinal manipulation can be effective for lower back pain. One 2013 study specifically compared chiropractic therapy to general medical care in military personnel, 18-35 years old. The results suggest reduced pain and improved physical wellbeing and function as compared to patients who only received the standard care.

Chiropractic adjustment, or manipulation, is a manual procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed during the doctor of chiropractic’s intensive years of chiropractic education. The chiropractic physician typically uses his or her hands—or sometimes an instrument—to manipulate the joints of the body, particularly the spine, in order to restore or enhance joint function. This often helps resolve joint inflammation and reduces the patient’s pain.

In general, chiropractors focus on the manipulation of the skeletal muscle systems to put the body back into natural alignment and relieve pain and tension. It isn’t so much an alternative treatment as it is considered complementary to many forms of traditional medicine. Chiropractors are highly trained doctors who have attended both undergraduate and chiropractic graduate school and have specialized in the way the body fits together. They have also been trained to use their hands to apply pressure to the body to help realign anything that has worked itself out of place.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, has approved a plan to expand military veterans’ access to chiropractic’s non-drug approach to pain relief. Many veterans suffer from back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions resulting from their service. Supported by several veterans groups, the approved language calls for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand the availability of chiropractic services at no fewer than two medical centers or clinics in each Veterans Integrated Service Network (VLSN) by no later than Dec.

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.