To Your HealthTYH Archives

January 29, 2002 [Volume 3, issue 3]

 

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In this issue of To Your Health:

Accept No Substitutions!

Chronic low back pain causes countless days of work lost and health insurance dollars spent, yet the causes of this long-term condition remain elusive. Why do some people recover quickly from back pain while others suffer for years? A recent study in the journal Spine adds to the growing body of information that helps us understand the causes of recurring back pain and injury.

Low back pain is known to cause sufferers to utilize their back muscles differently, or substitute the wrong muscles for lifting tasks. Added force could in turn hasten spinal disc degeneration. This study investigated the force during lifting on the spines of 22 back-pain patients and 22 healthy individuals in two phases: one measuring spinal forces while participants lifted in a specific posture, and the other allowing individuals to personalize their posture to lift comfortably. The researchers wanted to determine how back-pain patients might compensate for their pain.

The researchers found that patients tended to compensate for back pain and injury by substituting inappropriate back, side, and abdominal muscles for lifting, rather than the correct muscles that hurt. The resulting force on the spine was significantly increased in back-pain patients as uninjured muscles were used to compensate for injured muscles. By guarding the injured muscles, back-pain sufferers imposed twice as much twisting force and 1.5 times more compressive force on their spines as healthy people, when lifting the same object in a controlled fashion. Also, lifting more slowly, as those with back pain tended to do, only prolonged and intensified the force on the spine.

If you suffer from chronic low back pain, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about treatment options like exercise and stretching to help you avoid substituting the wrong muscles while lifting.

Reference: Marras WS, Davis KG, Ferguson SA, et al. Spine loading characteristics of patients with low back pain compared with asymptomatic individuals. Spine 2001:26(23), pp. 2566-2574.

For more information on back pain, head to https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/backpain.html.

Preventing Youth Baseball Injuries

Elbow and shoulder pain are some of the most widespread injuries in youth baseball, and can be caused by pitchers overusing their throwing arms. The number of pitches thrown per game and the types of pitches thrown may be directly related to pain and injury.

To determine the frequency of elbow and shoulder complaints in youth baseball pitchers and to evaluate possible causes, the authors of a recent study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise followed approximately 300 pitchers for two consecutive seasons. The 9- to 12-year-old children conveyed arm complaints following each game, and the authors related this to the number of pitches per game or per season and to types of pitches thrown.

Children who threw over 75 pitches per game were 50% more likely to suffer elbow pain than children throwing less than 25 pitches per game. Every 10 pitches per game increased the odds for elbow pain by 6%; this pain was present in more than a quarter of the games played. Shoulder pain occurred in one-third of the games, while elbow pain occurred in one-quarter of games. Both types of pain were also associated with throwing less than 300 pitches over the season, most likely due to underuse of a pitcher's throwing arm.

The authors of this study recommend limiting young pitchers to 75 pitches per game, and advocate consistent pitching to maintain strength and conditioning. The origins of elbow and shoulder pain differ, so be sure that methods for preventing pain at one location don't increase your child's risk for pain elsewhere.

Reference: Lyman S, Fleisig GS, Waterbor JW, et al. Longitudinal study of elbow and shoulder pain in youth baseball pitchers. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2001:33(11), pp. 1803-1810.

For more information on pediatric health issues, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/pediatrics.

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit

Over 1 million Americans develop some form of heart disease every year, largely attributable to high cholesterol levels in the blood. Soybean protein and dietary fiber have been shown to reduce a person's cholesterol levels. Although other peas, beans, and peanuts contain high levels of the proteins and water-soluble fiber found in soybeans, their influence on cholesterol, heart disease, and cardiovascular disease is unknown.

The data obtained in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were reviewed in a study of almost 10,000 people, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Participants had initially answered questions indicating how often they consumed all types of legumes (dried beans, peas, peanuts, and peanut butter) over a three-month period, and were divided into categories based on legume intake levels. Researchers followed the participants over two decades, documenting cases of heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and resulting deaths as they occurred.

People who consumed an average of four or more servings of legumes per week were less likely to develop heart disease and cardiovascular disease than those who consumed legumes less than once per week. Those with higher legume intake also had lower average blood pressure and cholesterol, and decreased odds for developing diabetes and high blood pressure.

Many studies show that vegetable proteins are much healthier than proteins found in meats, and legumes are also excellent sources of fiber and contain no harmful cholesterol. Be sure to minimize the amount of meat in your diet (especially fatty or red meat), and try to eat some form of peas or beans daily. Some of your other legume options include: lentils, black-eyed peas, red beans, and black beans.

Reference: Bazzano LA, He J, Ogden LG, et al. Legume consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in U.S. men and women. Archives of Internal Medicine 2001:161(21), pp. 2573-2578.

To find out more about the benefits of good nutrition, check out https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/nutrients.html.

Irregular Menstrual Cycles May Predict Diabetes

Not all women have a regular four-week menstruation cycle; cycles can range from between 20 to 40 or more days, and in some women the cycle length changes regularly. Diabetes, a condition in which a person has higher than normal blood sugar, can cause damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and other organs. Unusually long, extremely irregular, or infrequent menstrual cycles may be linked to insulin resistance and the development of type 2 (or adult-onset) diabetes.

To assess the risk for type 2 diabetes in women with a history of irregular menstrual cycles, the authors of a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association followed over 100,000 women who had reported their menstrual cycle patterns from 18-22 years of age. A "usual" cycle was considered to be 26 to 31 days; weight, race, family history, cigarette use, and other factors were also examined.

Women with long (40+ days) or irregular menstrual cycles were more than twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes over the 10-year study period than women with usual cycles. Women with very short cycles (21 days or less) were 1.5 times more likely to develop the condition than those with normal cycles. Overweight women had a significantly increased risk for type 2 diabetes as well, but obesity could not account for the increased risk in women with irregular cycles.

Unusual menstrual cycles may indicate metabolic changes that increase a woman's risk for insulin resistance. Insulin resistance hinders a woman's ability to process sugars and can cause type 2 diabetes over time. If you typically have very long or short menstrual cycles, especially if your menstrual cycle is highly irregular, take extra precautions to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. Talk to your doctor of chiropractic about diabetes prevention, and go to https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/women.html for more information on women's health.

Reference: Solomon CG, Hu FB, Dunaif A, et al. Long or highly irregular menstrual cycles as a marker for risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Journal of the American Medical Association 2001:286(19), pp. 2421-2426.

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