While some lower back pain needs to be treated by a specialist, chiropractors can help children and adolescents prevent and manage lower back pain. Most pain with no specific cause responds to rest, rehabilitation and identification of predisposing risk factors.

New research has found a simple sit-stand routine at work significantly reduces lower back pain, offering a high-impact solution for employees in sedentary work environments. While the study focused on individuals with recent lower back pain, the recommended ratio of 30 minutes sitting followed by 15 minutes standing (30:15) could benefit all desk-based workers by improving focus, reducing stress, and encouraging regular movement patterns throughout the day.

A new study led by University Hospitals Connor Whole Health found that adults with newly diagnosed low back pain who initially received spinal manipulative therapy administered by a chiropractor were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with opioid use disorder over a two-year follow-up, compared to those prescribed ibuprofen.

A new multi-institutional study, led by University Hospitals Connor Whole Health, found that adults with newly diagnosed low back pain with or without sciatica who initially received spinal manipulative therapy administered by a chiropractor were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with opioid use disorder over a two-year follow-up compared to those prescribed ibuprofen.

If you suffer from a herniated disc, your chiropractor can draw on any of a variety of treatment techniques to address the issue.

Pelvic blocking techniques are often used to treat herniated disc symptoms. Pelvic blocking treatments include using cushioned wedges, which are placed under each side of the pelvis. Gentle exercises may also be used. These will allow changes in biomechanics to draw your disc away from the nerve it may be pressing on.

Can sneezing cause a herniated disc? For many people with back pain caused by a back pain condition (ie, herniated disc), the problem starts off small and then gradually builds until you start to feel symptoms, such as back pain. For example, let’s say you sneeze and feel a sudden, sharp pain in your back. You may have had an underlying herniated disc, and the sneeze was what triggered it to progress.

Some patients are not good candidates for some types of chiropractic care treatments. For example, if you have cauda equina syndrome (a condition in which you lose control of your bowel/bladder with an accompanying intervertebral disc injury), then you will need immediate medical care as this is something that cannot be treated by your chiropractor.

In addition, if your chiropractor finds that you have advanced loss of strength, sensation, reflexes, and other unusual neurological findings, then he or she will refer you to a spine surgeon.

A chiropractor can help address back pain and other herniated disc symptoms. At your initial appointment, your chiropractor will go through your medical history, do a physical exam, and perform orthopaedic and neurological tests.

Your chiropractor will look for several things. These are important questions the orthopaedic and neurological exams can help your chiropractor answer.

Are the reflexes intact? That is, are your nerves sending messages correctly? (The classic reflex test is when the doctor taps your knee with a small hammer and your leg kicks up.)

Chiropractic care is a non-surgical treatment option for herniated discs. But what is a chiropractor’s approach to treating a herniated disc? Before we get to that, we need a quick review of what a herniated disc is.

What Is a ‘Slipped’ disc? Is it the same as a herniated disc?

With the exception of the first two vertebrae in the neck—the atlas (C1) and the axis (C2)—there is an intervertebral disc between each vertebra of the spine. Discs act as a shock absorber and a shock distributor, and provide flexibility.

Many patients live with low back pain that radiates to the buttock, groin, thigh, and even knees. The challenge for patients, and often their doctors, is determining the origin of the pain — the hip, the spine, or both. A new article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) outlines the identical symptoms associated with hip and spine pain and discusses the diagnostic steps and tests required to treat them appropriately.