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Restoring the Thoracic Curve in Straight Back Syndrome: Case Reports

We often hear about cases of increased thoracic kyphosis – that of forward head posture due to lifestyle or other factors. But straight back syndrome (SBS) is somewhat lesser known. A thoracic deformity characterized by “loss of the normal upper thoracic spinal kyphosis”, this condition can lead to reduced antero-posterior chest diameter, compression or displacement of the…

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Case Report Reveals Long Term Reduction in Cervical Pseudo-Scoliosis

Chronic neck pain, headaches, involuntary neck muscle contractions, and a tremor on the right side: these were the presenting symptoms of the subject of a recent case report carried in the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic. But behind the symptoms was a condition not unfamiliar to many chiropractors: a diagnosis of cervical scoliosis and cervical dystonia…

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Is Chiropractic a Protective Factor Against Health-Related Decline?

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics posed an interesting question: how does chiropractic compare to medical treatments on 1-year changes in self-reported function, health and satisfaction with care measures? It was a representative sample of American Medicare beneficiaries, but it’s a study worth a second look as it examines…

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Post-Concussion Case Series Suggests Cervical Spine Connection

Recent history has shown a renewed and revealing look at concussion. From movies that flagged public interest in the phenomena, to new research flagging concussions as a public health priority, it is now understood to be a potentially significant “mild traumatic brain injury” rather than simply a knock to the head. While prevention and early…

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Trigeminal Neuralgia and Chiropractic: A Case Study

What happens when surgery fails to solve the problem it was prescribed for? For many people, the answers to this question aren’t encouraging. But for a 65-year old female (and the topic of a recent case report), a failed surgical intervention was thankfully not the last resort in her quest for answers when it came…

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Neck pain and Heart Rate Variability

It might seem that Heart Rate Variability (HRV) a bit of a hot topic in chiropractic circles right now, as practitioners and researchers alike begin to understand the many potential applications of this tool. We know that it is non-invasive in its nature, and an easy way to measure autonomic function and adaptability. But it…

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Movement and sensory deficits may compromise neurogenesis in the post-natal stage of brain development

Recent findings in the field of neurobiology have elucidated that nervous system development and brain growth may be linked with movement and sensory input. The findings suggest that “mobility restrictions or insufficient sensory stimuli impact the production of new brain cells and brain development… “ and that “By testing whether early deficits in sensory experience…

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Concussion and Brain Trauma: when science and lived experience meet

Dr. Amy Haas* is a chiropractor with a CV full of medical, biochemistry and enzymology qualifications. She is passionate about chiropractic, the brain, and adaptation. So what happens with a brain like hers gets put through the paces of concussion, brain trauma, and post-concussive syndrome? The result is an insightful look into how science, research,…

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Interview with Dr. Otto Janke – HRV Post-Cancer Case Study

A recent case report published in the Journal of Medical Cases covered the improvement in vagal function, measured in Heart Rate Variability, in a post-cancer patient. While it is a single case, which means more research is required before we can generalize, it is an intriguing look into what may happen in terms of restoring…

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Chiropractic and ADHD

Chiropractic and ADHD: Worth another look?

You’ve most likely read the line before: “We can’t generalize based on these findings, but…” It’s a common limitation of case reports. They are valid and valuable contributions to the evidence bank, but always carry a disclaimer that further research is necessary. A recent case report and literature review listed 18 separate cases in which…

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Carpal Tunnel Case Resolves while under Chiropractic Care

Carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition affecting the wrist and bringing numbness, pins and needles, pain and weakness, is said to result from compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel of the hand [1]. While risk factors include pregnancy, gestational diabetes or pre-existing nerve conduction issues, and women between ages 40-60 are most…

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Infantile Colic and Spinal Manipulation: Study Puts European Medical Literature Under the Microscope – A contrast

As the Government of Victoria, Australia, winds up its review of chiropractic spinal manipulation of children under 12, the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic (based in the United States) has published a narrative review of the European Medical Literature on an issue often debated within pediatrics. It is the issue of spinal manipulation and infantile colic.…

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Case Report Reveals Resolution of Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures Following Chiropractic Care

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) have long been an area of frustration for sufferers and clinicians alike. Being that they are not caused by abnormal brain electrical discharges like their epileptic counterpart, the condition exists in the “Somatoform disorder” category that is both ‘neglected and misdiagnosed [1]’ in many a case.  A recent case report and literature…

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Systematic Review Examines Muscle Strength Post Spinal Manipulation

A recent systematic review published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics has taken aim at an issue that is potentially close to many a chiropractors heart: the effectiveness of spinal manipulative in increasing muscle strength in healthy people. Following a spate of chiropractic-based studies showing increased muscle strength (or rather cortical drive to…

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