One More on Cracking Knuckles. Dr. Donald Unger spent a half-century cracking the knuckles of his left hand but never his right. After fifty years, he reported no arthritis or other problems in either hand, despite cracking the knuckles in his left hand over 36,500 times. Arthritis & Rheumatism, May 1998

Does Knuckle Cracking Cause Arthritis? Previous studies have NOT shown a link between knuckle cracking and hand osteoarthritis. One study even suggested that knuckle cracking helped prevent osteoarthritis. This study showed that 18.1% of those who cracked their knuckles regularly had hand osteoarthritis compared with 21.5% of those who did not crack their knuckles. Journal…

Significant Improvement! Fifty patients with neck and arm pain caused by an MRI-confirmed cervical disk herniation received chiropractic adjustments over a 90-day period. After two weeks, 55.3% of patients reported their pain had significantly improved. This number rose to 68.9% after one month and 85.7% after three months of care. No adverse events were reported.…

Herniated vs. Bulging Disks? Disks act as cushions between the vertebrae in your spine. They’re composed of an outer layer of tough cartilage that surrounds softer cartilage in the center. A bulging disk extends outside the space it should occupy. The bulge typically affects a large portion of the disk, so it may look a…

Pain in the Neck? The cervical spine is made up of seven bones called vertebrae, and these vertebrae are separated by disks filled with a cushioning gel-like substance. Your cervical disks stabilize your neck and also help it to turn. Decades of movement can really take a toll on the neck as two-thirds of people…

Neck Ribs? A cervical rib in humans is an extra rib which comes off of the seventh cervical vertebra. Sometimes known as “neck ribs”, their presence is a congenital abnormality located above the normal first rib, which comes off the first thoracic vertebra. A cervical rib is present in only about 1 in 500 (0.2%)…

Pain Relief! Patients with chronic spinal pain (either neck, mid-back, or low back) were randomized to receive NSAIDs (pain relief medication), acupuncture, or spinal adjustments. Care was provided for four weeks, followed by assessment of improvement. After 30 days, spinal manipulation was the only intervention that achieved statistically significant improvements in pain and disability. Journal…

Lack of Motion and the Heart and the Lungs. The negative effects of immobilization (lack of proper motion) begin as soon as four hours after injury! The direct effects of deconditioning on the cardiopulmonary system (heart & lungs) include an increase of the maximal heart rate and a decrease in your maximal oxygen consumption potential.…

Osteoarthritis of the Hip. 118 patients with diagnosed unilateral hip osteoarthritis received either patient education (PE) with or without manual therapy (MT, performed by a chiropractor), or a minimum control intervention (MCI) consisting of an at-home stretching program. The study found that the combination of patient education and manual therapy to be the most effective…

Lack of Motion and the Nervous System. The negative effects of immobilization (lack of proper motion) begin as soon as four hours after injury! The direct effects of deconditioning on the nervous system include decreased proprioception (ultimately affecting balance and joint coordination) and a decrease in central neuromotor control of movement and posture. Journal of…