Feature Articles:
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• Chiropractic May Enhance Motor Skills •
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A new study finds chiropractic adjustments may very well improve people’s motor skills. In this study, researchers provided certain participants with chiropractic adjustments to areas of the spine containing joint dysfunctions (also known as subluxations). Participants’ movement times when moving a cursor onto a target appearing on a computer screen were measured before and after their adjustments. All ten participants who received chiropractic adjustments experienced significantly improved movement times following their spinal adjustments compared with only one participant who did not receive the chiropractic adjustment. The average improvement in movement time in those receiving the adjustments was 9.2 percent. Researchers concluded, “The results of this study demonstrated a significant improvement in movement time with chiropractic care… These results suggest that spinal adjustments may influence motor behavior.”
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| SOURCE: J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2006; 29(4): 257-266. |
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• Female Specific Factors In Low Back Pain and Other Musculoskeletal Pains •
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Findings from a questionnaire-survey related study conducted with more than 11,000 women have identified a number of female specific factors associated with female lower back and upper extremity/arm pains. In adult women, hormonal and reproductive factors are associated with chronic musculoskeletal pain in general. Factors related to increased estrogen levels may specifically increase the risk of chronic low back pain. More specifically, past pregnancy, young maternal age at first birth, duration of oral contraceptive use, and use of estrogens during menopause were associated with chronic low back pain, while young age at menarche was associated with chronic upper extremity pain. Also, irregular or prolonged menstruation and hysterectomy were associated both with chronic low back pain and chronic upper extremity pain. No positive associations were found for current pregnancy and number of children.
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| SOURCE: Spine. 31(13):1496-1502, June 1, 2006. |
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• High Cholesterol Levels Bad News For Backs •
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Many experts have felt that abnormal plaquing of the blood vessels (most commonly caused by high cholesterol levels) in the lower back may lead to spinal disc degeneration and low back pain. Researchers have released a new study in which their findings support this belief. The study consisted of more than 900 participants were followed and surveyed periodically during a 28-year period. Researchers found those with high levels of serum cholesterol experienced an increased occurrence of radiating low back pain.
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| SOURCE: Spine. 31(9):1032-1037, April 20, 2006. |
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• Low Fruit Consumption Tied to Asthma Risk •
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According to researchers, those consuming small amounts of fruit and vitamin C are considerably more likely to suffer from symptomatic asthma. Research participants who ate at least 46.3 grams of citrus daily were half as likely to suffer from asthma with symptoms compared to participants who consumed no citrus fruit. Also, a lower intake of both vitamin C and manganese were linked to an increased risk of symptomatic asthma. It should be noted that study findings do not support the notion that those with less symptoms were simply living an overall healthier lifestyle as all study participants consumed similar amounts of calories and fat and showed similar levels of physical activity, education, and likelihood of having smoked in the past.
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| SOURCE: Thorax, May 2006. |
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