Question: I am a veteran and have benefited from chiropractic care for many years, but my insurance has always paid for it. I heard that the Veterans Administration now covers chiropractic. Is this true?

Answer: Yes! In January, 2002 President Bush signed into law (Public Law 107-135) establishing a permanent chiropractic benefit within the VA health care system. This law authorized hiring doctors of chiropractic to treat veterans. The Chiropractic Advisory Committee has been formed to help implement chiropractors into this vast system. 4,000 veterans have sought chiropractic care just since last year.

I had the opportunity to speak at the ORRRC meeting in November, 2004. I explained how a chiropractor can keep you running by always looking for balance in your structure. When I examine someone, I literally look at them from the feet right up to the head. Posture is extremely important and can affect how well you are able to run, as well as the injuries you might sustain. If you have one-sided pain, such as in one hip, one side of your back or one knee, you may be out of balance and trying to compensate for structural imbalances.

Chiropractic is based on the nervous system. The nervous system controls everything in our body. It transmits feelings, gives us muscle strength and operates our organs, such as digesting food. The spine houses and protects the nervous system. If the spine is out of alignment, we call this a subluxation. That means the vertebra or bone in your back may be twisted or locked in position, causing irritation to the nerves and joints. We have multiple means of working on this type of condition. For some of our patients, this involves forceful manipulation. Other patients require more gentle, non-forceful adjustments to the spine. We determine what is best for you and tailor our treatment to your needs.

Question: Every New Year, I promise myself I'm going to lose weight and exercise regularly. I head to the gym, but within two or three months, I quit and never return. What suggestions do you have to stay on my program?

Answer: Unfortunately, many of us have the best of intentions and get off to a good start, only to fail within a relatively short period of time. Studies have shown that long-term weight loss is maintained with regular exercise. The benefits of exercise are so far-reaching that it is well worth your time and effort to stay on a regular exercise program. Here are a few suggestions on how to do that:

Question: I sit at the computer and my neck and back hurt by the end of the day. What can I do to avoid this?

Answer: Sitting at a computer can be much harder on your back and neck than you would suspect. Correct posture is absolutely essential for avoiding pain because of the long hours that you stay in one position. The American Chiropractic Association promoted May as Correct Posture Month. This is because poor posture adds stress to your muscles and joints and causes you to expend more energy to function. Long-term poor posture can lead to osteoarthritis as well as impair your breathing, circulation and even digestion.

If you work at a computer, do the following:

Concussion is unfortunately a common injury in many sports. Football, ice hockey and surprisingly, soccer all have about the same injury rate. Almost 2 million concussions occur every year due to sports.

Typical complaints include headaches, nausea, dizziness, balance problems, double or fuzzy vision, sensitivity to light or noise, sluggishness, feeling foggy, change in sleep patterns and concentration or memory problems.

Question: I always have pain in my right shoulder blade, I have had medication, massage and physical therapy - nothing has helped. What can a chiropractor do?

Answer: Shoulder blade pain is quite common. We treat this regularly in our office, often with good results.

Question: I am afraid that I will get arthritis in my spine when my chiropractor cracks my back. After all, doesn't cracking your knuckles give you arthritis?

Answer: There is no evidence that cracking your back or knuckles causes arthritis. In fact, a new study shows it may actually help prevent arthritis and loss of flexibility.

Question: I hate to exercise. I don't like to sweat and I don't want to give up the time. I'm active -- does that count for anything?

Answer: Yes. We are finding out that a small increase in your activity level can result in dramatic reductions for cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.

I am often asked what the best exercises are for those with low back pain.

There is no one exercise or set of exercises that rise above the others. A study several years ago had patients performing different exercises and observed their results.