November 23, 2020
Chiropractic care across the lifespan is a concept that, to some, is a given but to others is highly controversial. After all, “Why would an infant need chiropractic care?” While research has examined the safety and efficacy of chiropractic care and exposed an incredible safety record, and other research has looked at the ways in which we adapt our techniques to ensure the gentlest, most effective care for our tiniest patients, new research emerging from the desks of chiropractors Braden Keil and Christian Fludder has taken a look at something very specific and apparently not uncommon: glenohumeral (shoulder) joint dysfunction. […]
November 16, 2020
It is estimated that migraine affects around one in seven people worldwide, making it more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma and ranking as the seventh most disabling disease “among all diseases.” [1]. While types of migraine differ, this isn’t a regular headache but rather a neurological event that can create a significant amount of impairment during attacks. The causes of migraine remain somewhat mysterious (apart from solid indications that there is likely to be a genetic component), and most people treat their migraines at onset. Research indicates though, that “approximately 40% of those with episodic migraine have unmet treatment […]
November 9, 2020
The study of pain is a complex area, as pain isn’t just about injury. It’s also about the brain’s response to it. Thus, there is a lot we don’t yet know about things like pain sensitivity, pain habituation and the signals flying around in our brains that relate to all of it. While research continues to make advancements in this area, there is still a lot of work yet to be done. That is why a 2019 piece of research appearing in a journal dedicated to Clinical Neuroimaging is particularly interesting: it found evidence for decreased neurologic pain signature activation […]
November 2, 2020
Forward head posture, or Cervical Forward Flexion, has emerged as a significant postural concern over recent years with many people attributing the increase (at least in part) to the uptick in smart phone and device usage, and the subsequent hours spent looking down. However, the increases appear to hark back as early as 2002-2009 during which time “cervical spine procedures increased” alongside associated costs. A case report recently published in the Asia Pacific Chiropractic Journal has released details of a 24-person retrospective case series which casts light on the potential relationship between anterior thoracic adjusting and forward head posture. The […]
October 23, 2020
The Australian Spinal Research Foundation has announced the appointment of the new President of the Foundation following the completion of Dr Craig Foote’s service on the board. Dr Craig shepherded the foundation through an incredible season of change and his are indeed big shoes to fill. We caught up with long-time board member and new president, Dr Ryan Seaman to talk about the exciting new chapter the foundation is entering – including how we fared through the COVID-19 pandemic and look to the future.
October 16, 2020
The Asia Pacific Chiropractic Journal has carried an intriguing dual case report in which lumbosacral transitional vertebra are discussed as a potential contributing factor to scoliosis. Scoliosis, or abnormal curvature of the spine, is thought to affect 2-3% of the population and the age of onset ranges from 10-15 years of age. While the severity and implications of scoliosis can vary from patient to patient and hypotheses relating to potential causes abound, no specific cause for scoliosis has been identified. Enter the Lumbosacral Transitional Vertebra (LSTV), which refers to the partial or complete fusion of the transverse processes of the […]
October 9, 2020
In last weeks’ interview, we caught up with Professor Suzanne Snodgrass from the University of Newcastle. She was talking about a recent study, funded by the Australian Spinal Research Foundation, in which three-dimensional head and neck movements in people with neck pain were examined. The study involved chiropractic care and exercise as the interventions in order to determine whether there is a relationship between pain and movement in individuals who suffer from idiopathic neck pain (which occurs spontaneously and has no obvious cause). Here are more details from that study. Studies like this make important contributions to our understanding of […]
October 2, 2020
A new study undertaken by the University of Newcastle and funded by the Australian Spinal Research Foundation has been published. The study reveals insights into the impacts of neck pain on movement, offering important insights for clinicians. We caught up with Professor Suzanne Snodgrass to talk about it. The full study, including a full statistical breakdown of findings, can be found here.
September 25, 2020
Imagine itching constantly for no reason. Imagine consulting several physicians trying a litany of creams, diets and antihistamines only to continue to suffer from discomfort, sleep deprivation and continue scratching until you bled. This is chronic, severe pruritis and it is the primary complaint that a 36-year old male presented with when he sought help from a chiropractor who authored a recent case report on the topic. Here’s the spoiler though: the condition that had eluded other primary care practitioners resolved concomitant with chiropractic care. The case report in question appeared in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, and […]
September 18, 2020
Opioid overuse (or the misuse of certain strong painkillers and other drugs) has long been a public health concern. In fact, in 2018, it was reported that 128 people died every day in the United States because of opioid misuse. Misuse, addiction, healthcare and other associated issues present a massive cost not only in the United States but in other countries across the world. Currently, there isn’t a strong dataset telling us about the prognosis when moving to conservative care after long-term opioid (painkiller) use for the management of a condition. That’s what makes this case report very interesting. The […]
September 11, 2020
When you think of the term “autoimmune conditions”, there is most likely a long list of ailments that springs to mind. Rarely, though, would the term “Myasthenia Gravis” make that list. Affecting about 20 people per 100,000 worldwide, the condition occurs when the body’s own antibodies attack the neural receptors on muscle cells. Thus, a person finds themselves becoming increasingly stricken with muscle fatigue issues such as double vision, muscle weakness in limbs, and potentially difficulty speaking and swallowing accompanying an increased need for rest toward the end of the day. It occurs mostly in women under the age of […]
September 4, 2020
A recent study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine has taken on a type of headache thought to affect only 1-1.6% of the population. Rare though it may be, Primary Headache Associated with Sexual Activity (PHASA) is recognised by the International Classification of Headache Disorders and remains poorly understood. There are a few pharmacological interventions that have been suggested for the management of PHASA. In the recent case study, however, the 19-year-old female patient presented at a chiropractic clinic for care after pharmaceutical interventions had yielded little or no relief. The headline could indeed because for a giggle, but […]
August 28, 2020
Not so long ago, the rumour mill was alive with talk that chiropractic care was bad news for stroke potential. A few short years on and not only has that rumour been put to rest, but we are beginning to see evidence that chiropractic care may even be good for stroke recovery! Not only have researchers found that there is no evidence that chiropractic care causes cervical artery dissection, but there is now evidence that chiropractic care may increase muscle strength, spinal excitability and even pulmonary function post-stroke [1-3]. These findings are significant, as stroke is a “major cause of […]
August 21, 2020
It has often been said, both in chiropractic circles and others, that communication is a powerful thing. But exactly how powerful is it when it comes to pain and therapeutic interventions? A recent study published in the International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine put this question to the test, looking at high-velocity, low-amplitude manipulations and how practitioner language affected health outcomes. While it did appear in a journal targeted at osteopathy rather than chiropractic, the manipulation style and manual therapeutic approach means this study is laden with implications for chiropractic. The test trialed the effects of positive and negative communication styles […]
August 19, 2020
While studies and statistics on musculoskeletal pain in adulthood abound, data on schoolchildren seems somewhat scarcer. With an increasingly sedentary population, and with extended time sitting being noted as a public health concern, it warrants collecting data on this particular group. Recently, some researchers undertook this task and analyzed pain distribution on 1,000 Danish Schoolchildren aged 8-16, and the results are very interesting [1]. The report, referenced below, was carried in the Journal of Chiropractic and Manual Therapies and aimed to expand the available data on the topic according to age, sex, and the number and length of episodes of […]
August 7, 2020
Research into pain and the effect it has on the brain has been greatly informative over recent years, and has deepened our understanding of how chronic pain works. While we have gained greater insight into the role the nervous system plays in pain perception, gaps still remain in other areas of understanding. Such gaps include the connection between the central nervous system and peripheral tissue pathology, especially in relation to chronic musculoskeletal pain. Integration of our current knowledge and findings is the aim of the game here. It is simpler to separate information into different categories and isolate single causes. […]
July 31, 2020
Imagine waking up from an arthroscopic shoulder surgery only to discover that you can no longer speak. Dysfunction of the vocal cords has been described as a side effect of endotracheal intubation during surgery, but it is certainly not a particularly common side-effect. In general, the practice is thought of as safe but complications have been reported. A recent case report published in the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic details the case of a 55-year old female who suffered ongoing vocal cord paralysis after surgery. It was actually her physical therapist who sent her to a chiropractor. While case reports certainly […]
July 24, 2020
Regardless of your preferences in health care, pain management is a complicated topic that researchers remain invested in. Issues like sensitivity to pain, learned responses to pain and of course misuse of pain medication in many cases make it an important and complicated topic. That’s what makes the following study a particularly poignant one: it looked at the impact of spinal manipulation on two biomarkers associated with pain perception and sensitivity. The study of pain sensitivity and perception is an ongoing area and will likely remain so. Previous studies focussing on the effects spinal manipulation can have on pain sensitivity […]