The prevalence of back pain in the U.S. and the costs of its treatment continue to rise. Here are some interesting facts about back pain in the U.S.:
1. An estimated 80% of people in the U.S will have a debilitating episode of back pain at sometime in their lives.
2. 30 million Americans sought treatment for back pain last year.
2. The total costs for back pain treatment has increased 65% since 1997.
3. In the last decade there has been a 170% increase in the use of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of back pain.
4. Use of MRI for diagnosis has increased 300%.
5. The use of epidural steroid injections for the treatment of spinal pain has increased 600%.
6. There has been a 220% increase in the rate of spinal fusion surgery.
7. The annual cost for spine care in the U.S. last year was approximately $90 billion dollars.
Despite this national epidemic of rising costs, chiropractic has repeated been shown to be the highest rated profession for back pain care in terms of treatment effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and cost savings. Our profession will continue to fight this trend by continuing to educate the public about our role in this national health care issue.
We get a lot of questions about abdominal exercises that are effective for increasing core strength but are safe for the spine. The exercise posted in the video below demonstrates a great core exercise in a rolling pattern. This exercise is adopted from movement patterns observed in a baby as they learn to roll over in the first few months of life. The exercise is safe for the spine and is actually quite challenging as it forces you to focus on your trunk and core muscles to complete the task. I commonly recommend this movement to my patients who don't do well with traditional abdominal exercises. Give it a try! 
Research has shown that some of the most common diseases in the modern world are driven by chronic inflammation in the body. The inflammation (or swelling) of the body's tissues can lead to a variety of ailments such as chronic pain, diabetes, heart disease, fatigue, and depression. Often, this inflammation process is caused not only from an injury but also by the food sources we eat. Although over the counter anti-inflammatory medicines have good short term effects, taking them on a long term basis is dangerous to the liver and kidneys. In our clinic we recommend a series of natural anti-inflammatory supplements to assist injury recovery, reduce pain, promote long term health, and prevent chronic disease. Next time you are in the clinic ask about our free nutritional information packet and recommendations about 