Torsion can play a big role in cLBP given the prevalence of disc ‘tears’. McGill points out torsion can be a distinct problem to many and training/exercise methods that utilize twisting motions can be more damaging than helpful. He decries the use of “torsion” based rotation machines. These machines are poor oblique trainers and impose […]
This magazine article in July’s The Horse continues a trend toward good press for the profession. Dr. Taryn Yates DVM begins: “equine Chiropractic care is a rapidly emerging field among veterinarians due to increasing demand from horse owners for alternative therapies”. “It is an art of healing that focuses on restoring the spinal column’s normal […]
“Steroid injections, though widely used in clinical practice for sciatic/HNP for over 50 years provide no additional benefit vs. saline solution. The natural history of sciatica is such that most patients improve over time, which may hide the treatment effect”. The prevalence of prolapsed disc is 1%-3%. Sciatic due to herniation resolves within one month […]
Inheritability of back pain may be as high as 68% with inheritable factors including disc degeneration (statistically accounting for up to 75%) and tendency toward psychological distress. Four studies draw the conclusion muscle strength and general fitness appear to be of little significance and there is no persuasive evidence flexibility, gender or leg length inequality […]
They found 1/3rd of asymptomatic individuals to have a “substantial abnormality”. Those under 60; 25% had a HNP, over 60 nearly 60% showed abnormalities; 40% HNP and 25% stenosis. Degeneration and bulging was found in more than a 1/3rd of those under 40 and in everyone 60 and older. In 1994 similar findings were demonstrated […]
I came upon 2 studies recently which really piqued my interest immediately. The suggestion by many patients that the mobile “lump”/nodule in their lower back is “causing” their trouble is VERY common in my experience. These two commentaries point out that in fact the patient may not just be imagining that the proximity of the […]
Before traction can be transmitted to the spine, pelvic anterior rotation (and lordosis) must be reduced. The lumbar lordosis follows from the reduction of the anterior rotation of the pelvis. On the Kdt Neural-flex we incorporated the leg and hip support (creating semi-fowler positioning) into the “bolster-less” leg feature. This eliminates the need for a […]
Don’t underestimate the value of seated ‘chair-lifts’ both as an important testing procedure for “compression but also as a counter to the discal stress imposed by daily sitting. Holtzman, Froyer, Saunders and others have examined the decompression effect and benefit of this maneuver and found that it indeed both relieves pain and restores height i.e. […]
J Tradit Chin Med. 2012 Dec;32(4):534-7. Zheng Z1, Wang J, Gao Q, Hou J, Ma L, Jiang C, Chen G. RESULTS: Patients in the treatment group received tender point deep tissue massage plus lumbar traction and patients in the control group received lumbar traction, alone. We used a tissue hardness meter/algometry and visual analog scale (VAS) to assess the pressure pain threshold, muscle hardness and pain […]
Eur Spine J. May 2007; 16(5): 669–678. Grob, H. Frauenfelder, and A. F. Mannion Abstract The finding that degenerative changes of the cervical spine are common in asymptomatic individuals has challenged the notion of cause and effect. Degenerative changes of the cervical spine are commonly accompanied by a reduction or loss of the segmental or global lordosis, and […]