September 2024 Health Newsletter

Looking for effective, safe and affordable care to treat those aches and pains? New research indicates chiropractic care could be the answer. A group of scientists recently published a study to determine whether chiropractic treatment was linked with lower healthcare costs for older patients with low back pain. The study looked at more than 72,000 patients ages 66 and older to determine whether chiropractic treatment was a good option. The results determined that older patients who used chiropractic therapy for lower back pain had lower overall healthcare costs along with shorter pain episodes. The cost of care per episode day was also lower. Those who combined convention medical care with chiropractic care also saw lower costs of care. Interestingly, the cost of treatment was higher for people who did not use any chiropractic treatment at all. The findings show that chiropractic care alone or used in conjunction with other forms of care are a cost effective, viable method for those who want to manage and lessen their pain.

A new study comparing the benefits of massage and exercise has concluded that working out is as effective as massage at relieving the aches and pains of sore muscles. The research, conducted by the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, asked 20 participants to perform a shoulder exercise designed to engage both of the trapezius muscles between the neck and shoulders. Two days later, the subjects returned to the lab and rated the pain of the aching muscles on a scale of one to ten. The average pain experienced by the participants was described as a five. Subjects then received a 10 minute massage on one shoulder and spent 10 minutes exercising the other. Participants were asked again to rate their pain. Both massage and exercise offered relief, with massage decreasing the pain by an average of .07 points and exercise relieving an average of .08. Researchers are unclear how massage or exercise relieve soreness, but believe that they help to clear out metabolic byproducts associated with tissue damage.