Chiropractic News and Research by ChiroNexus

Smokers Take Longer to Heal from Broken Bones

March 26, 2013

Smokers heal more slowly from broken bones, and are more likely to not recover at all, according to a new meta-study. Smokers had a 15% greater risk of nonunion fractures of the long bones and periarticular long bones. Nonunion fractures occur when the bones fails to ever heal, and often require orthopedic surgery. Smoking could inhibit recovery through narrowing of the blood vessels (vasoconstriction), impaired collagen synthesis, direct inhibition of cell function, and platelet aggregation, according to Mara Schencker, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Got Back Pain? Try Getting Some Sun

March 25, 2013

Not getting enough sunshine? That could increase your chances of severe back pain. In a new study from Korea, people with a lack of regular sun exposure were more likely to be deficient in vitamin D, and low vitamin D levels were tied to increased back and leg pain. City-dwellers and those suffering from another medical condition were also more likely to be deficient in vitamin D. Earlier studies have shown that vitamin D deficiencies play a role musculoskeletal conditions.

Fear of Movement and Walking Among Obese Seniors with Low-Back Pain

March 25, 2013

Kinesiophobia, fear of movement, plagues many people with low-back pain. A study involving older adults with obesity and low-back pain sought to determine what factors resulted in kinesiophobia, and how this fear affected walking endurance. The study, a secondary analysis from a larger investigation, included participants who were 60-85 years old, sufferers of low-back pain, and either overweight, obese, or severely obese.

Physician Awareness of Chiropractic Could Improve Treatment

March 22, 2013

Despite growing use of alternative care and chiropractic, many physicians are hesitant to recommend such treatments due negative beliefs or insufficient understanding of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This hesitance to work with CAM providers could affect the quality of care patients receive, since research suggests that multidisciplinary care enhances treatment outcomes Studies suggest that a key way to improve physician perceptions of chiropractic is to ensure that CAM therapies are part of physician training in medical school.

Exercise As Good As Surgery for Knee Pain

March 21, 2013

Considering knee surgery? You may not want to rush into the operation room, a new study suggests. The study shows that physical therapy and exercise are as effective as surgery for knee arthritis and torn cartilages. The researchers recommended that patients try physical therapy before surgery, since exercise carries less costs and risks. Every year nearly half a million surgeries are conducted for torn meniscus.

Why Are Active Children Happier?

March 20, 2013

Studies have shown that children who exercise report happier moods and fewer depression symptoms than kids who are less active. A new study may help explain why.

Manual Therapy Cuts Medication Use

March 20, 2013

A new study confirms the efficacy of osteopathic manual therapy for back pain, and suggests that it can help patients reduce their reliance on potentially-addictive pain medications. The study from the Annals of Family Medicine compared the efficacy of osteopathic manual therapy (OMT) with ultrasound therapy (UT), and two sham treatments designed to mimic OMT and UT. Although some patients saw improvements with ultrasound therapy, those improvements did not reach statistical significance, leading researchers to conclude UT was ineffective for back pain. The results for manual therapy were quite different however. After 12 weeks of treatment, 50% of OMT patients had statistically significant reductions in pain.

How Many Women Seek Natural Care in Pregnancy?

March 19, 2013

Nearly half of pregnant women are turning to complementary and alternative medicine, suggests the results of a new study from Australia. Although many women seek natural treatments during pregnancy, few studies had examined the frequency and nature of CAM utilization by pregnant women. In a study of 1,835 women in Australia, 48.1% said they used some form of alternative medicine during their pregnancy, and 52% used CAM products.1 The most common reasons for women to seek alternative treatments were back pain, neck pain, and labor preparation.Fewer women sought CAM for relieving headaches and migraines. Massage therapy was the most used complementary treatment (used by 34.1% of women), followed by chiropractic (16.3%), meditation/yoga (13.6%), and acupuncture (9.5%). "Women are consulting with CAM practitioners most commonly for management of pain-related conditions. This may be due to women's perceptions of CAM treatments as safer ( while being equally effective than conventional pain management," the researchers wrote in a related study.2 The research also showed that the majority of pregnant women who visit a chiropractor are seeking relief of back and neck pain.

Women With Back Pain Suffer From Incontinence and Breathing Problems

March 19, 2013

In a longitudinal study on women's health, researchers looked at the relationship between back pain and other health complaints, including incontinence, breathing disorders, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Women with pre-existing or newly developed incontinence and breathing problems had a greater risk for the development of back pain. Conversely, women with back pain were more likely to develop incontinence and breathing problems. The study also found that G.I.

Avoiding Fatty Dairy May Up Breast Cancer Survival

March 18, 2013

The fat in dairy is a source of estrogenic hormones. Some scientists suspect that these dietary hormones may increase the likelihood of breast cancer. A new study evaluated whether high- and low- fat dairy was related to worsened breast cancer survival. The study included 1,893 women who had been diagnosed with early-stage invasive breast cancer between 1997 and 2000.