Health Care Awareness
AUSTIN — Texas governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation in September, declaring the month of October 2019 to be Chiropractic Health Month.
The proclamation, said Dr. Monte Horne, retired Sulphur Springs chiropractor, commends “Texas chiropractors for their commitment and efforts to improve the quality of life for all Texans by promoting effective pain management and healthy lifestyles.” Horne is the founder and director of CCEDSeminars, an online tool that teaches chiropractic continuing education to chiropractors all over the world through the sponsorship of Texas Chiropractic Association, Texas Chiropractic College and the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing (PACE).
Horne is joining the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and chiropractors nationwide during National Chiropractic Health Month to encourage people to take simple steps to improve the health of their bones, muscles and joints — the musculoskeletal (MSK) system — as part of this year’s “Strength. Stability. Success.” campaign.
More than 1-in-2 adults report experiencing an MSK condition such as back, neck or joint pain, arthritis and osteoporosis. They are the most commonly reported medical conditions among those under age 65 and the second most common condition for people age 65 and older. Low back pain alone is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
“Nurturing musculoskeletal health over a lifetime begins with good nutrition, adequate hydration and healthy habits such as regular rest and physical activity,” Horne said. “Prevention is also key; we can reduce the risk of injury by improving our posture and movement techniques as well the ergonomics of our work and home environments.”
The proclamation goes on to read that these specialty doctors “are highly skilled professionals who are dedicated to providing safe and effective physician-level health care to patients suffering from back pain.” Their focus, the proclamation reads, is disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, rehabilitative care, prevention and chronic pain.
Gov. Abbott in the proclamation stated that chiropractors play a “vital role” in health care and are a “benefit to their [patients’] lives.”The ACA recommends a few simple steps to improve MSK health: Move more. Bones, muscles and joints need movement to stay healthy. The U.S. surgeon general recommends adults get at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate physical activity (such as walking, yard-work, recreational swimming) or at least 75 minutes of intense weekly activity (such as jogging, hiking uphill, basketball).
Learn more at www.acatoday.org/NCHM. For campaign updates, look for the hashtag #StepsToStrength and follow ACA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.