For people challenged with chronic back pain, a new experimental treatment that focuses on retraining how the back and the brain communicate offers a clinically meaningful effect on pain intensity and a clinically meaningful effect on disability, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. People were happier, they reported their backs felt better and their quality of life was better. It also looks like these effects were sustained over the long term; Twice as many people were completely recovered.

You don’t have to be an ironworker or a lumberjack to be at risk for back injury on your job. Every occupation, however physically undemanding it seems, carries the potential for back injury. Even office work can pose problems. A physically intense job might put a person at greater risk for a serious accident, but the sedentary practice of sitting at a desk all day brings its own set of physical concerns.

We can’t give you advice on how to navigate a TSA security line, other than to say take a deep breath and be patient. But the American Chiropractic Association has pointed out that a long flight can play havoc with tightened muscles and restricted blood flow. When flying, here are some things to remember.

Your feet are the foundation on which your body stands and functions. Chiropractors recognize that one of the keys to spinal health, and therefore the maintenance of overall health, is taking good care of the feet. A foot injury can lead, for instance, to limping. And when the body starts compensating for a limp or for any joint that can’t pull its weight, the over-stressed parts will start to ache. Most likely the other leg or hip will start to ache. Next may come lower back pain.

The spine is made up of distinct areas: the cervical spine, which is essentially the neck; the thoracic spine, in the mid-back; the lumbar spine, the lower back; and the sacral spine, in the pelvis. The lumbar vertebrae—the individual bones that make up the lumbar section of the spinal column—are described as L1 through L5. If one or more of those vertebrae are out of line—what chiropractors call a ‘subluxation’—here are some problems that may ensue:

Most people’s approach to health care is a preventive one. They visit their medical doctor regularly to check for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other issues. They see the dentist regularly to prevent development of cavities, gum disease and other problems with the mouth. The idea is to not wait until a problem becomes evident.

It used to be thought that the pain, stiffness and diminished function of joints due to arthritis were just an unavoidable part of the aging process. Advice on the topic was for some time limited to, “slow down.” We know now, though, that exercise is essential to managing the disease. Though chiropractors may be best known for working on the spine, particularly keeping its vertebrae, or individual bones, in line, they are trained in the operation of all the body’s joints and in the various therapies available to keep those joints working smoothly.

Fibromyalgia is a condition in which, essentially, a person “hurts all over.” Difficult to diagnose, fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain in muscles, ligaments and tendons and creates tender spots all over the body. In some cases, symptoms have begun to appear after a physically traumatic event, like a fall or car accident; after surgery or an infection; or in the aftermath of severe psychological stress. In other cases, though, symptoms may just build gradually. For some reason, women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia than are men.

Experts estimate that as many as 80 percent of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. The back is a complicated weave of nerves, muscles, joints and ligaments. There are plenty of opportunities for something to go wrong. A twinge or minor pain in the back may come and go. But what the average person would call “pain” in the back is not likely to go away on its own. Low back pain, some experts say, is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Back pain often is the result of mechanical problems with the back.

Exercise, of course, is good for you. But any form of exercise also can expose you to the risk of injury. Riding a bicycle is a great form of exercise, but it, too, has its risks. A relatively common injury among cyclists is an irritation and inflammation of the ulnar nerve, which runs from the armpit through the inside of the elbow and into the hand and forearm.