April 20, 2000 [Volume 1, Issue 10]

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In this issue of To Your Health:

• When Work Causes Back Pain
• Swatting Away the Tennis Injury Bug
• Childhood Development and Alzheimer's
• Cigars Just as Dangerous as Cigarettes

When Work Causes Back Pain

We're all subject to back problems - it's one of the drawbacks (no pun intended) of walking upright on two legs. Couple that with life's variety of daily stresses, and it's all but guaranteed that most people eventually suffer from back pain.

No matter what your occupation is, it's a source of daily or near-daily stress. Work-related factors have long been implicated as potential contributors to back pain, a hypothesis supported by recent research in the journal Spine. Four hundred and eighty-four men and women participated in a 24-year study to determine specific occupational factors related to low back pain (LBP). The study also evaluated whether interactions between psychosocial and physical factors, and between work-related and leisure-related factors, affected LBP. Results showed that:

* Heavy physical workload and sedentary work (i.e., jobs involving prolonged sitting or limited movement) increased the risk of LBP among men and women.

* Among women, smoking and the combination of "whole-body vibrations" (a phrase used by researchers to designate jobs involving driving or operating machinery, etc.) and low influence over work conditions increased the risk of LBP.

* Among men, high perceived load outside work (i.e., exercising, household responsibilities and/or repair, etc.) and the combination of poor social relations and overtime increased risk of LBP.

What can you do about back pain? First, be aware of "red flags" - factors at work and at home that may increase your risk. Second, schedule regular chiropractic appointments. Your doctor of chiropractic will evaluate any current back pain you might be experiencing and help prevent future back pain from occurring.

Thorbjornsson CB, Alfredsson L, Fredriksson K, et al. Physical and psychosocial factors related to low back pain during a 24-year period. Spine, Feb. 1, 2000: Vol. 25, No. 3, pp369-75. For more information on back pain, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/backpain.html

Swatting Away the Tennis Injury Bug

Tracking down a ball on the baseline, lunging at a passing shot, straining to reach a lob - almost every aspect of tennis involves a certain amount of risk. Even the repetitive motions of serving and hitting groundstrokes can cause painful injury, turning you from active participant to unhappy spectator.

According to an article in the Journal of Sports Chiropractic & Rehabilitation, stretching and strengthening exercises can help minimize your risk of sustaining a tennis-related injury. The authors present various techniques in a photographic format with text explanations. Included is a review of easy exercises you can perform at home or in the gym, such as:

• torso stretch;
• pelvic tilt;
• hamstring stretch;
• lumbar extension;
• side bend;
• shoulder rotation;
• knee flexion;
• hip extension; and
• scapular retraction

Youíre probably familiar with some of these techniques already, but your chiropractor can give you more specific information and outline an exercise program to maximize health and reduce your risk of injury.

Baron SH, Washington KW. Tennis injuries: lower the risk through stretching and strengthening. Journal of Sports Chiropractic & Rehabilitation 1999: Vol. 13, No. 4, pp164-70.

For more information on sports and fitness, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/sports.html

Childhood Development and Alzheimer's Disease

Confusion, disorientation, language problems, and impaired judgement -- a temporary problem when the cause is alcohol, but much more permanent and debilitating when Alzheimer's disease is the culprit.

A recent study in the journal Pediatrics evaluated the potential relationship between childhood development (represented by adult height) and the onset/progression of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers screened more than 3,500 elderly men (71-93 years of age) for signs of Alzheimer's disease or other brain-related impairments and looked for a possible connection with height measurements taken 25 years earlier.

The percentage of men with poor cognitive performance declined steadily with increasing height, from 25% in men shorter than 61 inches (5'1") to only 9% in men taller than 69 inches (5'9"). Almost five percent of the shorter men suffered from Alzheimer's disease compared with three percent of taller men.

Height is one of several variables believed to indicate healthy childhood growth and development. Ask your doctor of chiropractic about what you can do to help your children grow up healthy.

Abbott RD, White LR, Ross GW, et al. Height as a marker of childhood development and late-life cognitive function: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Pediatrics, September 1998:volume 102, number 3, pp602-609.

Cigars Just as Dangerous as Cigarettes

Overwhelming evidence suggests that smoking contributes to numerous life-threatening conditions, yet cigar sales in the United States increased by nearly 50% from 1993-1997. Even more disturbing, cigars are advertised and often glamorized in the mass media. And the general perception is that cigars are safer than cigarettes, despite their similar associations with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A 25-year study involving nearly 18,000 men addressed this misconception by investigating the link between cigar smoking, cardiovascular disease and other major diseases. The study, which appeared in the June 10th, 1999 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that cigar smokers were at higher risk for developing heart disease, COPD, or cancer of the lungs/throat than nonsmokers.

So don't believe the glamor and the hype, believe the warnings. Smoking, whether it be cigarettes, cigars or pipes, can threaten your life and the lives of your loved ones. If you're a current smoker who'd like to quit, or if you know of someone who's having trouble quitting, don't be afraid to ask your doctor for help.

Iribarren C, Tekawa IS, Sidney S, et al. Effect of cigar smoking on the risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer in men. The New England Journal of Medicine, June 10, 1999: Vol. 340, No. 23, pp1773-1780.

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