A nerve becomes “pinched” when the nerve itself has been compressed by surrounding tissues. In some situations, cartilage, bone, or swollen soft tissue can impact the nerve itself. Some of the most common reasons why people develop pinched nerves include:

• Issues related to weight and obesity
• The development of rheumatoid arthritis
• Suffering a traumatic injury playing sports or in a motor vehicle accident
• Stress from poor work ergonomics
• Certain hobbies, particularly athletics, that can lead to a pinched nerve through an overuse injury

It takes some patients by surprise, but one of the first things a chiropractor will do when you visit for the first time is to measure the length of your legs. If you’ve gone to see a chiropractor because your back is bothering you, it’s reasonable to wonder why the doctor is looking at your legs. But here’s the reason: it’s not uncommon for people to have legs that are of slightly different lengths. Since your legs and feet are the foundation on which the body stands, if those lengths differ even marginally, everything above them is going to be slightly off-kilter.

Chiropractic is a licensed health care profession that emphasizes the body’s ability to heal itself. Treatment typically involves manual therapy, often including spinal manipulation. Other forms of treatment, such as exercise and nutritional counseling, may be used as well.

What Chiropractors Do

Soon, people working sedentary jobs will be able to take advantage of an innovation created to prevent troublesome back pain — researchers have created a prototype of an office chair that activates deep muscles and improves trunk stabilization.

Research shows that many people spend almost 80 per cent of their working day sitting and at least half of that time in the same body position. The prolonged and invariable sitting posture is associated with lower back pain due to impaired musculoskeletal control.

Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may prove more effective than usual treatment in alleviating chronic low-back pain, according to a new study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health.

If your college student is home for the holidays, you might want to have a discussion with him or her about the benefits of chiropractic treatment during the school year. After all, chiropractic treatment is not just for older adults with back problems. It’s beneficial for all people, and college students are among those poised for benefit. long hours of studying spent hunched over a textbook or laptop can strain muscles and cause misalignment in many parts of the body.

Q: Does chiropractic treatment require a referral from an MD?

A: A referral is usually not needed to see a doctor of chiropractic (DC); however, your health plan may have specific referral requirements. You may want to contact your employer’s human resources department — or the insurance plan directly — to find out if there are any referral requirements. Most plans allow you to just call and schedule an appointment with a DC.

Q: Is chiropractic treatment ongoing?

Q: Are chiropractors allowed to practice in hospitals or use medical outpatient facilities?

A: Chiropractors are being recognized to admit and treat patients in hospitals and to use outpatient clinical facilities (such as labs, x-rays, etc.) for their non hospitalized patients. Hospital privileges were first granted in 1983.

Q: Do insurance plans cover chiropractic?

Q: What conditions do chiropractors treat?

It has long been known that there is an association between food and pain, as people with chronic pain often struggle with their weight. Researchers at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience may have found an explanation in a new study that suggests that circuitry in the brain responsible for motivation and pleasure is impacted when someone experiences pain. “These findings may reveal new physiological mechanisms linking chronic pain to a change in someone’s eating behavior,” said Paul Geha, M.D., lead author on the study published in PLOS ONE.