Opioid pain-relieving medicines are not more effective than a placebo in relieving acute back and neck pain and may even cause harm, according to a recent trial. The researchers say this is proof that treatment guidelines should be updated to advise against the use of opioids for this purpose.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 approved a plan to expand access to chiropractic’s nondrug approach to pain relief to veterans, many of whom suffer from back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions resulting from their service.

A new study published in BMJ Open sheds light on potential benefits of chiropractic care for adults with radicular low back pain (i.e., sciatica). The study looked at the relationship between chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (CSMT) and the prescription of gabapentin, an off-label treatment for radicular low back pain.

The pendulum of opioid prescribing for pain has swung sharply in the last decade, as the epidemic of opioid overuse, addiction and overdose has led policy makers and health care providers to ratchet back on the prescriptions patients receive.

But for about 5 million Americans who have taken prescription opioids for years to address their chronic pain, that pendulum swing has led to trouble getting refills, finding new providers when their former ones retire or relocate, or getting access to multi-modal pain care that goes beyond pills.

There aren’t many large studies on the value of chiropractic treatment in managing migraines. One study examined chiropractic treatment for different types of headaches, including migraines. The study combined the results of 22 studies, which included more than 2,600 patients total. The studies show that chiropractic treatment may serve as a good preventive treatment for migraines.

Air travel is among the biggest challenges we face to our spinal health. Long hours in a cramped airliner often lead to back pain. here are some steps you can take to avoid that pain during your next flight.

Stand up straight and feel the normal “S” curve of your spine. Then use rolled-up pillows or blankets to maintain that curve when you sit in your seat. Tuck a pillow behind your back and just above the beltline and lay another pillow across the gap between your neck and the headrest. If the seat is hollowed from wear, use folded blankets to raise your buttocks a little.

A new study confirms that rocker bottom shoes help strengthen back muscles, improving the spine’s curvature and thus reducing low back pain.

A call to action on lower back pain remedies has been issued by prominent international researchers in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. Recommendations include:

• Coordinated international leadership to drive transformational change across health and social services and occupational settings to stop fragmented and outdated models of care

• Development of evidence-based medical responses to low back pain emphasizing the concept of ‘positive health’ — the ability to adapt and self-manage in the face of social, physical and emotional challenges

A series of ground breaking research reports in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet warn that low back pain is a major health burden globally — across developed and developing nations — and that the current use of X-rays and scans, opioids, injections and surgery to investigate and treat the condition is useless, unnecessary and harmful.

A systematic review of a relatively new treatment for chronic back pain — Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) — has found that it is no better than traditional therapies based on evidence from past studies.