Use of practitioner-led complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as acupuncture, massage, osteopathy and chiropractic treatment, rose from 12 percent of the population in 2005 to 16 percent of the population in 2015, according to a new survey. The survey asked adults about their CAM use in the last 12 months. Out of a representative sample of 4,862 respondents aged 15 and over, 766 (16%) said they had seen a CAM practitioner.

It’s a posture so common we almost don’t notice it anymore: someone sitting at a computer, jutting his or her head forward to look more closely at the screen. But this seemingly harmless position compresses the neck and can lead to fatigue, headaches, poor concentration, increased muscle tension and even injury to the vertebrae over time. It can even limit the ability to turn your head.

Now that spring is here, and the weather is warming up and leaves are turning green, many people will spend more time outside planting bulbs, mowing the lawn and pulling weeds. Gardening can provide a great workout, but with all the bending, twisting, reaching and pulling, your body may not be ready for exercise of the garden variety.

Opioid use is common among workers injured at work. A new study focuses on low-back injuries, which are common claims in workers’ compensation and exhibit a higher use of opioids—including the longer-term prescriptions on which we focus—than most other injuries. In addition, evidence-based treatment guidelines recommend against long-term use of opioids for most of these cases, suggesting that some prescriptions may be excessive.

Some reports blame opioid use for part of the decline in labor force participation among adult men. Estimates based on workers’ compensation data shed light on the relationship between opioid prescriptions and the return to work among people who suffer work-related low-back injuries, for which opioid use is common. Differences in opioid prescribing patterns across locations demonstrate how various use of these medications can impact how quickly workers return to work.

Many VA primary care providers are routinely discussing the services provided by DCs as an option with their patients.

VA provides chiropractic services on-site at one or more VA facilities in each VISN. VA facilities that do not have on-site chiropractic clinics provide these services via Community Care mechanisms. A list of VA facilities that have established on-site chiropractic clinics is available at ...

Patients can assess their own back pain using an app on their phone or tablet as effectively as current paper methods, a new study has shown. The study demonstrates that digital versions of established measurements for assessing back pain are just as reliable and responsive, opening the possibility for their use by patients for routine measurements and clinical trials.

The researchers see this study as a necessary first step in the greater use of digital media in clinical settings, in light of recent calls for greater use of such technology by healthcare providers.

Researchers found that frequent, persistent back pain is associated with earlier death in a study of more than 8,000 older women. The researchers found that disability measured after back pain helped explain the association.

Researchers at Boston Medical Center found that frequent, persistent back pain is associated with earlier death in a study of more than 8,000 older women who were followed for an average of 14 years. After controlling for important sociodemographic and health factors, women who reported frequent, persistent back pain had a 24 percent increased risk of death compared to women with no back pain.

In the past, chiropractic treatment got mixed reviews from physicians. However, in early 2017, The American College of Physicians released new guidelines. It now supports the use of nonpharmacologic therapies, such as chiropractic and acupuncture, as first-line treatments for low back pain, before using medication.