Chiropractic Stories

Chiropractic's Effect on Learning Disorders and Dyslexia

Chiropractic care of the spine may stimulate nerve pathways to an area of the brain important to learning, resulting in enormous benefits to children with learning disabilities and dyslexia, according to a recent study.

"This review critically assessed eight previously published studies involving a total of 160 children," explained Swiss chiropractor Yannick Pauli, the research leader and president of the Swiss Chiropractic Pediatric Association. He specializes in the care of children afflicted by learning and behavioral disorders. (Read more)

How to Wear Backpacks Well

Watching students carrying their backpacks on a college campus can be a chiropractor's nightmare, for much damage is in process to young backs that will show up years later in multiple back problems. "A lot of people are wearing their backpacks too heavy, which is harming their backs and their health," said Allison Gross, a chiropractor at the EnCana Wellness Center at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta.

Chiropractic Technique Reduces Blood Pressure

A particular chiropractic adjustment has been shown to significantly improve high blood pressure, according to recent research. "This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination," said study leader George Bakris, a medical doctor who is director of the University of Chicago hypertension center. "And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems."

WHO Investigates Neck Pain Big-Time

Persistent neck pain makes life miserable for millions of people worldwide, and all too often the advice of conventional physicians is to seek help through surgery. But a huge, years-long international study shows the best way to treat most instances of neck pain is through far less drastic approaches, such as chiropractic.

Chiropractic Can Relieve Rising Economy-Related Stress

Stress, and the tension in the spine, nervous system, back and neck that it breeds, is rising like a tide in America today along with the economic woes afflicting the nation – and chiropractors are well positioned to tackle the problems.
    
A survey done not too long ago by the American Psychological Association (APA) revealed that economy-related stress is making Americans angry, sleepless and anxious. Seventy-two percent of respondents pointed to money as a major source of stress, and 69 percent cited the economy, according to the APA.

New Way to Treat Scoliosis

A new neuronavigational technique similar to the one NASA uses to navigate a robotic arm in space is making it possible to operate on severe cases of scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, in a minimally invasive, low-impact manner. The new procedure, which is performed only on those relatively few patients with a spine curvature greater than 45 degrees, avoids the extensive muscle damage, long scars and significant blood loss of traditional scoliosis surgery.

MRI Excellent in Investigating Back Pain

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is becoming more and more useful to doctors in identifying the multiple possible causes of back pain, according to a recent evaluation of the technology from an orthopedic perspective.

The evaluation, which appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, observed that MRI is effective and even vital over a wide range of clinical disorders, and that, in years to come, technical developments will produce yet more orthopedic benefits. (Read more)

Knee Cartilage Damage Raises Osteoarthritis Risk

A recent study of middle-aged and elderly patients showed that damage to the cushioning cartilage in the knee can often lead to osteoarthritis. The cartilage is known as the meniscus. Actually, there are two menisci, one on the inside of the knee and one on the outside. These tough, resilient, wedge-shaped cushions protect the thigh bone (femur) and main shin bone (tibia) from damaging one another and properly distribute the load of the body onto the joint.
(Read more)

Expert Commentary: Thomas Hyland Robertson, DC 3/25/2009

Imagine a complicated pulley setup with rubber shock-absorbers between the parts and ropes moving through the system. What if you left this pulley out in the weather for 30 years, with minimal maintenance or lubrication? Rust and grit would probably start to restrict the movement of the parts, and the rubber might get brittle. The ropes could even tighten up and jam the pulley's motion.
(Read more)

NIH Endorses Alternative Therapies for Back Pain

In the midst of the debate on healthcare, it may be interesting to note to what extent the Federal government is changing its bureaucratic mindset about what is good medicine and healthcare. The evidence: The National Institute of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
(Read more)