August 2019 Health Newsletter

With all the studies evaluating the prevalence and cause of back pain, few have focused on back pain in our children and adolescents and none have been conducted on a larger scale.  Fortunately, this changed when doctors at the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York City surveyed 3,669 children and adolescents across the United States.  Their goal was to establish the prevalence of back pain in 10-18 year olds as well as identify any demographic or physical activity factors.  Their findings revealed that overall, 29% of the boys experienced back pain in the previous year.  Perhaps more surprisingly, this number rose to 38% in the girls.  Additionally, the occurrence of back pain increased steadily with the age of the children/adolescents.  Almost 80% of those studied stated they participated in a sport or physical activity.  As the level of competition increased and became more intense (travel teams vs. recreational athletes), so too did the occurrence of back pain.  Additionally, there was a strong correlation between the incidence of back pain and the style of backpack used.  Those using a two strap backpack were less likely to experience back pain as compared with those using rolling backpacks with two straps and the waistband fastened, or, those using backpacks with a single strap.  The data collected from this study shed light on the serious risk our youth face when it comes to back injuries.  Chiropractors undergo years of extensive study and training to identify and treat back pain, in both adults and children.  In fact, of those youth surveyed above who experienced back pain within the last year, approximately 34% sought chiropractic care.  If your child or adolescent is or has experienced back pain, we encourage you to schedule a no-commitment consultation with a licensed doctor of chiropractic today!

Millions of U.S. adults would choose chiropractic care first to treat neck or back pain, according to a recent nationwide survey. The Gallup-Palmer report revealed 57% of all U.S. adults believe in the effectiveness of treatment and are likely to visit a chiropractor. Over 50% of adults have visited a chiropractic doctor in the past, and over 25% would choose a chiropractor over any other type of doctor if they experienced back or neck pain. The nationally representative survey, commissioned by the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Iowa, also found that more adults are seeking chiropractic treatment than previously estimated. The survey found that 33.6 million Americans visited a chiropractor in 2014, up from the 2012 estimate of 20.6 million Americans. Chiropractic care takes a trained, conservative approach to the treatment of neuromusculoskeltal concerns, limiting the need for prescription painkillers or surgery. However, about four in ten U.S. adults reported concerns about cost, and nearly half did not know whether their insurance plan covered chiropractic services. According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), numerous recent studies refute these misconceptions. The ACA reports that chiropractic care is at least partially covered by most insurance plans and is considered a cost-effective form of treatment for back and neck pain.

Skipping breakfast can lead to a reduced athletic performance later in the day according to U.K. researchers.  In a group of 10 males, researchers compared performance later in the day when eating breakfast as well as when skipping breakfast.  In this particular group of individuals, when breakfast was skipped, even though more calories tended to be consumed during lunch (an average of approximately 200 additional calories), their later day performance was still reduced.  More studies will need to be performed but if you're an athlete with an athletic performance later it the day, making a decision to skip breakfast may reduce your overall performance, even if more calories are consumed later in the day.