Joint hypermobility seems to be one of those issues that is gaining awareness, and while it exists on a spectrum from that which causes no problems that that which is disabling, it is something that is all too easily overlooked. A new narrative review published in the Asia-Pacific Chiropractic Journal argues that when we do…
Frozen shoulder syndrome (FSS), also known as adhesive capsulitis, affects an estimated 2% to 5% of the general population. The painful and debilitating condition most often affects people between the ages of 40 and 65, with a slight female predominance. The condition is dramatically more common in people with diabetes: reported prevalence in diabetic populations…
Few things are more powerful than hearing a child put words to their own progress. Twelve weeks into chiropractic care, a two-year-old boy who had presented with delayed speech turned to the adults in his life and said, “I’m so happy I can talk now.” That very human outcome moment crowns the clinical findings in…
For all that chiropractic care proposes about the relationship between spinal function and nervous system performance, the profession has long faced a practical problem: how do you actually measure it rigorously? A 2024 feasibility study from Dr Tyson Perez (DC, PhD), Emily Drake and Stephanie Sullivan (DC, PhD) takes a serious crack at answering that…
Despite all the advances in brain-related chiropractic research, low back pain remains one of the most common reasons people seek chiropractic care, and most people expect treatment to focus squarely on the spine. But what if a key to relieving back pain was found not in the lumbar region, but in the bones of the…
A newly published case study in the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic adds to a growing body of evidence supporting non-surgical spinal decompression (NSD) as a viable conservative option for patients with cervical disc extrusion even in cases where surgery has been recommended. While we know that surgery cannot always be avoided, it is encouraging to…
It’s a common thing to hear aging talked about as if it’s an inevitability. Memory dulls. Balance fades. Sleep frays. Energy wanes. But do we need to accept that aging has to decrease our expression of life? Or is it possible to approach the post-retirement years with an expectation of maintaining or even increasing vitality?…
The chiropractic lexicon is a thing that is both the cause of a lot of conversation (or debate) and our distinction from other modes of manual therapy. There is strong reasoning behind the use of terms like “checking and adjusting subluxations” rather than “spinal manipulation”. Yet the latter is more readily accepted in academic and…
It’s an oddly dignified question, from a chiropractor to a paediatric practice member: “Tell me about your poo”. And don’t kids love an excuse to talk about such things? But toileting is a big indicator of gastrointestinal function and nervous system function alike. It’s also a common childhood issue. Constipation is one of the most…
It was a somewhat novel case report that was recently published in the Asia Pacific Chiropractic Journal; when a professional opera singer sought care for musculoskeletal complaints that he attributed to the demands of his career. A veteran of the stage, he was starting to wonder whether his career was winding down due to the…
Few ideas in chiropractic generate as much discussion as vitalism. For some, it represents the philosophical foundation of the profession. For others, it remains a point of tension in how chiropractic is understood within the broader healthcare context. At the Australian Spinal Research Foundation, our stance on chiropractic’s central tenet, the vertebral subluxation, makes our…
By now, the back and forth over infant chiropractic care is well entrenched. The Safer Care Victoria Review sought to address ‘community concerns’ over chiropractic care for children. The result was a stunning 21,824 submissions received from members of the public who had accessed chiropractic care for a child under 12; an unprecedented number that…
For many women, menstrual discomfort is treated as an unfortunate but normal part of life, yet chiropractors know that while this might be common, it certainly isn’t normal. For a significant number of women, menstrual symptoms are far more than a mild inconvenience. Severe cramping, headaches, fatigue, and heavy bleeding can disrupt daily functioning, interfere…
Having to have a limb amputated is a significant trauma, and one that would certainly be difficult enough to deal with all on its own. But for 64% of individuals who have had a lower limb amputated, phantom limb pain also comes with the territory. Phantom limb pain (PLP) is defined as pain perceived in…
Salutogenesis is a concept many chiropractors understand and work with on a daily basis, yet for many, it’s a foreign concept. At its heart, the concept of Salutogenesis asks, “How can we build up health and wellbeing rather than merely curing disease?” It is the flip side of pathogenesis, which asks what causes disease and…
Paediatric practice is a cause close to the hearts of parents and chiropractors alike. But even with large-scale, state-run reviews and research papers presenting a picture of a safe, effective and trusted practice, it remains political [1, 2]. Thus, accurate research and information on how we care for our smallest practice members is of great…
They say sitting is the new smoking. That is, the risk sedentary lifestyles pose to health and mobility is as significant as a cigarette habit. Beyond the catchy tagline lies a serious problem, though. According to World Health Organisation data, more than three-quarters of all adolescents and one in four adults do not meet the…
Chiropractic and immune function has been a topic of interest in and around the ASRF tribe for some time. How the chiropractic adjustment might modulate the plethora of functions that go into maintaining health through supporting immunity, adaptability and autonomic nervous system balance will always be of utmost importance. On that front, a recent study…
