September 11, 2018

Teens with back pain are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, and face mental problems such as anxiety and depression, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Public Health. 

The findings showed that with increased frequency of pain the proportion of participants reporting increased smoking, drinking, and absence from school.

Key findings:

~ Students that experienced pain more than once a week were around twice as likely to have missed school in the previous term.

~ 14- to-15-year-olds who experienced pain more than once a week were two-to-three times more likely to have drunk alcohol or smoked in the past month than those who rarely or never had pain.

This should be a reminder not to dismiss the teens complaining of pain as 'trivial or fleeting'

Chiropractic care can help.

A study earlier this year showed that teens with chronic back pain undergoing 12 weeks of spinal manipulation (adjustments) and exercise do better than exercise alone. The relief lasted over a year's time.


https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pubmed/fdy129/5057774?rss=1
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/oupu-bpi091018.php
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29596158