Researchers reviewed records from 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation database who had diagnoses of disc degeneration, disc herniation or radiculopathy, a nerve condition that causes tingling and weakness of the limbs. Half of the patients had surgery to fuse two or more vertebrae in hopes of curing low back pain. The other half had no surgery, even though they had comparable diagnoses.

After two years, just 26 percent of those who had surgery had actually returned to work. That’s compared to 67 percent of patients who didn’t have surgery. In what might be the most troubling study finding, researchers determined that there was a 41 percent increase in the use of painkillers, specifically opiates, in those who had surgery.

“The study [1] provides clear evidence that for many patients, fusion surgeries designed to alleviate pain from degenerating discs don’t work”, says the study’s lead author Dr. Trang Nguyen, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. [2] (Read the full article here.)

If you are experiencing back pain, you have every reason to try chiropractic first — before surgery. Make an appointment with Real Chiropractic and Wellness of Myrtle Beach today!

Your headaches might come from your posture and your workspace.

Most of us slouch in our chairs at some time or another. Many of us crane our necks at the computer screens on our desks.

After a while, these unnatural tensions add up — small misalignments develop in backs and necks, sending pressure up spines and into heads.

If you live and work in Myrtle Beach, the best way to address these misalignments is to visit Real Chiropractic and Wellness. Dr. Zack Causey will assess your aches and pains and set a treatment plan tailored to you. Click here to make an appointment.

With the new school year in full swing, the last thing Ahwatukee Foothills residents Larry and Michelle Mushkin are worried about is their kids missing school because of a cold.

For years there have been many studies and debates on the benefits of chiropractic care for children. In a recent study of 781 patients younger than 3 years of age, 85 percent of parents reported improvement. And 73.5 percent of the patients were 12 weeks of age or younger when they began care. Studies have also shown pediatric chiropractic treatment to help not only with back and neck pain, but with colic, bedwetting and asthma.

Read the full article here.

Here’s a summary from the Chiropractic Resource Organization:

Previous research suggests that spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) may be helpful for various types of chronic headaches, including cervicogenic headache (CGH), which is associated with neck pain and dysfunction. In a recent randomized controlled trial, NCCAM-funded researchers from Western States Chiropractic College and other institutions evaluated the dose (number of treatments) and relative efficacy of SMT in a group of 80 patients with chronic CGH.

The researchers concluded that their findings support SMT as a viable option for treating CGH, but also point out that these findings should be considered preliminary. They suggest additional research to determine whether SMT results for patients with CGH are affected by treatment intensity and duration, use of other therapies, lifestyle changes, and an integrative care approach.

In a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Surgery Journal volume 50, it is recommended that patients with acute lumbar (low back) painful disc herniations should consider chiropractic treatment.

Trying a conservative four-week clinical trial of chiropractic treatment before deciding to have surgery is something to consider….

And if you live in the Myrtle Beach area, get started at Real Chiropractic and Wellness.

Allen quotes Reggie Clifton, who joined the U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa last month, making him the first military chiropractor in the Pacific.

“It’s just another tool in the toolbox for medical care,” Clifton said of chiropractic care.

Read the full article in Stars & Stripes here.

And if you live in the Myrtle Beach area, take your aches and pains to Real Chiropractic and Wellness.

On August 7, 2010, Jerry Rice and six other National Football League (NFL) icons will be honored in Canton, Ohio, as they become the latest members to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (HOF). While Rice’s 13 trips to the Pro Bowl and 38 career records helped the San Francisco 49er great gain entry to the HOF, according to the three-time Super Bowl champion, it also takes a chiropractor.

After his retirement from the NFL in 2005, Rice once again turned to chiropractic, but this time, instead of shaking defensive players and avoiding vicious tackles, he was shaking his hips while competing on the popular TV show, “Dancing with the Stars.”

Read the full release here, and then contact Real Chiropractic and Wellness today!

“Records from insurance and court cases have constantly shown that chiropractic is the safest portal of entry health care available to the public today. Although no healthcare procedures are 100% safe, chiropractic stands on its record of safety and effectiveness unmatched in healthcare,” according to the International Chiropractors Association, or ICA.

The association operates a website on the safety of chiropractic medicine: http://www.chiropracticissafe.org/. Visit it to learn more.

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