Frequent musculoskeletal pain is linked with an increased risk of exiting work and retiring earlier, according to a new study from the University of Portsmouth. The paper found the association between musculoskeletal pain and retiring earlier persisted even after accounting for working conditions, job satisfaction and gender. The researchers found that people with musculoskeletal pain complaints tended to retire earlier compared to pain-free participants.

Low back pain is a major cause of disability around the globe, with more than 570 million people affected.

A systematic review and meta-analysis, conducted by an international team of researchers, included 95 studies with the goal of understanding the clinical course of low back pain.

For people with new back pain, pain and mobility problems lessened significantly in the first 6 weeks, but then recovery slowed. Many people with persistent low back pain (more than 12 weeks) continue to have moderate-to-high levels of pain and disability.

Your back and spine are made up of a complex latticework of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves that are critical to the functioning of your entire body. The spinal cord, after all, the highway on which signals travel back and forth between the brain and the other parts of the body, runs down the middle of the back.

Chiropractors may be best known for the procedure of spinal adjustment, but they have a variety of techniques at their disposal. one of them is massage therapy, an effective way to ease pain and loosen stiff muscles. Getting a massage is not just a way to pamper oneself at the spa. And there are different types of massage.

Many of us spend a good portion of our workdays sitting at a desk. Too much sitting, of course, is not good for anyone. We are not meant to be sedentary creatures. And recent research has concluded that it’s important for anyone who needs to sit for extended periods of time to get up and walk around at least once every hour.

With support from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institute of Health, Gregory Hicks recently led a clinical trial with researchers at UD, Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh to test new ways of treating chronic low back pain in adults 60 to 85 years old. The study, called the Manual Therapy and Strengthening the Hip (MASH) Trial, is believed by the research team to be the first clinical trial to assess the efficacy of an intervention matched to an at-risk subgroup of older adults with chronic low back pain and coexisting hip pain and muscle weakness.

While your college student is home on break, you might want to have a discussion with her or him 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.

It’s not a comfort, of course, to know that millions of Americans are afflicted with lower back pain. Just know that if you are one of them, you’re not alone. As common as the problem is, there are steps you can take to minimize your exposure to the problem. Here are a few that are recommended by the American Chiropractic Association:

Exercise is generally beneficial for you, but there are right and wrong ways to go about it. You certainly don’t want to injure yourself while doing something that’s meant to benefit you. Here are a few things to consider:

The spine is divided into three areas: the cervical spine, which is, essentially, the neck; the thoracic spine, which is the upper back, and the lumbar spine, which is the lower back. The spinal cord runs through the individual vertebra — the bones that make up the spine — and nerves emanate between those bones to the various parts of the body, carrying signals from and to the brain.