Chiropractic is superior to pain-clinic medical management, say researchers.In an eight week study, investigators compared chiropractic care to pain-clinic management for chronic low-back pain (CLBP). All 30 subjects had CLBP for more than 12 weeks duration.

Improvement on the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) in pain and disability was 5.5 points greater for the chiropractic group than for the pain-clinic group. Specifically, pain intensity reduction was 1.8 points superior for the chiropractic group than for the pain-clinic group. Decrease in disability was 5.9 points better for the chiropractic cohort.

Journal of Alternative and Complement Medicine – June 2008;14(5):465-73

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Fibromyalgia may be associated with a central nervous deficit in sensory processing, say scientists. In a new study, 31 fibromyalgia patients and normal subjects were exposed to random auditory and pressure stimuli.

The fibromyalgia subjects reported more sensitivity to auditory tones and daily sounds. Other significant associations between the auditory and pressure responses suggested that such abnormalities maybe related to a common pathophysiological mechanism.

Fibromyalgia subjects perceived auditory stimuli to be of the same intensity as felt by control subjects, even though their actual intensity levels were lower.

The Journal of Pain – June 2008;Epub.

www.jpain.org