May 23, 2018
As research mounts up, it is becoming increasingly clear that neck pain has impacts far beyond pain and stiffness. A recent piece of research, partially funded by the Australian Spinal Research Foundation, has become the first to reveal that people with subclinical neck pain have slower visual and multisensory response times, and the differences caused by subclinical neck pain don’t improve on their own. The research emerging up until this point has offered clear indications that neck pain has impacts on multiple areas of brain function and proprioception. Among the already-available research is work indicating: Proprioceptive differences in upper limbs […]
May 15, 2018
A new case series published in the Chiropractic Journal of Australia has shown sustained improvement in heart rate variability in six individuals. The retrospective case series, which used the Australian Spinal Research Foundation’s conceptual definition of the Vertebral Subluxation, is an excellent example of one way we can objectively measure the impact of chiropractic care beyond short-term pain management alone. We caught up with Dr Amy Haas to chat about it. Dr Haas’s recent case series, co-authored with our own Dr Dave Russell, chronicled six patients at varying ages and stages of life. All underwent chiropractic care focused on the […]
May 8, 2018
As a Foundation, we have always celebrated research that advances the cause and understanding of chiropractic. The last twelve months have seen us undertake a massive drive toward defining and researching the cornerstone of our profession: the vertebral subluxation. It gives us great pleasure to read our definition of the vertebral subluxation referenced in a number of case reports recently published. Among these studies was a piece by Dr’s David Russell and Tanja Glucina. The case report followed a 38 year-old female patient who suffered from Crohn’s disease, and was dealing with a number of lifestyle restrictions and quality of […]
April 24, 2018
Motor developmental delays in infants and young children are often the domain of dedicated therapists such as speech, physical and occupational therapists. However, chiropractic care for infants and children does appear to be gaining acceptance as research and public awareness increase. Research focused on adults has revealed significant impacts on sensorimotor integration, but similar research involving children is emerging much more slowly. This makes a recent case-study involving a 15 month-old male with developmental delays a significant one. An added perk of the study was that the subluxation definition used by the authors was the Australian Spinal Research Foundation’s definition, […]
April 19, 2018
For almost as long as our profession has existed, debate has raged over the terminology central to our cause: the vertebral subluxation. What does it mean? Can it be measured? Is it reliable? Should we call it something else? That debate is one step closer to finished after the latest piece of research from the Centre for Chiropractic Research in New Zealand revealed some big news: we can reliably detect vertebral subluxations. This study is a landmark study, as it answers (in part) the lack of consensus around the nature, reliability, and neurological manifestations of the subluxation. This is exciting […]
April 4, 2018
In the history of the Foundation, we have had more than a few highpoints. Among these highlights are many quality research papers giving key insight into the mechanisms and impacts of chiropractic care. Yet something has been missing – a definition of the vertebral subluxation that is philosophically congruent, usable in practice and testable in research. It was this glaring lack that inspired the research agenda that now drives us. It is an exciting time in our history, and we are thrilled that we can share part one of this agenda – a conceptual definition of the vertebral subluxation for […]
March 2, 2018
It is fair to say that there is division in the profession; there has been for some time and unfortunately there may be for a while yet. Whether we, as a profession, disagree and debate philosophy, technique, communication styles, practice styles, or something else entirely, some things are certain: there is definitely more that unifies us than defies us, we have survived worse, and there is always more we can do. One beautiful aspect about chiropractic that has always set us apart is this pursuit of the cause of a problem. Why is it there and what brought it on? […]
February 7, 2018
Have you ever wondered how Spinal Research determines who gets the money that you donate? The Foundation is incredibly proud of our two-stage approval process. We believe this sets us apart from other research funding bodies. It has served us well for many years and was the result of reviewing the processes used by a number of national and international competitive funding bodies. Our application and assessment process reflects research sector best practice. The Grants The Foundation offers research grants to support our research agenda, investigating the vertebral subluxation, its effects and impacts through our chiropractic paradigm. The two major […]
January 31, 2018
Pregnancy can be an incredibly scary time for the women and families involved. They are constantly surrounded by a million different opinions and expectations about how to carry and care for the child within them. As chiropractors, it is both a responsibility and a privilege to care for increasing numbers of pregnant women as more and more of them seek us out as part of their pregnancy plan. This article will explore some new research around the possible benefits of chiropractic care for pregnant women and offer a brief review of the broader picture of chiropractic care in this area. […]