Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Jun 2004
ReviewCentral neuronal plasticity, low back pain and spinal manipulative therapy.
Recent experimental evidence demonstrating neuronal/synaptic plasticity and, in particular, long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in spinal neurons is reviewed. The implications of these studies for possible mechanistic explanations of low back pain and its remediation by spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) are explored. Brief descriptions of LTP and LTD and elaboration of the key roles of calcium, glutamate, and glutamate receptors in LTP/LTD are provided as separate appendices. ⋯ The potential involvement of LTP in low back pain is discussed and a role for LTD in spinal manipulative therapy is proposed. The need for future studies is identified in the areas of spatial and temporal changes in symptomatology post-SMT of the low back; combining, sequencing, and comparing several therapeutic approaches; and demonstrating LTD in spinal cord neurons post-SMT-like stimulation.
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Jun 2004
Case ReportsThe amelioration of symptoms in cervical spinal stenosis with spinal cord deformation through specific chiropractic manipulation: a case report with long-term follow-up.
To describe the chiropractic management of a patient with paresthesia on the entire left side of her body and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-documented cervical spinal cord deformation secondary to cervical spinal stenosis. ⋯ There is a paucity of published reports describing the treatment of cervical spinal stenosis through manipulative methods. Existing reports of the manipulative management of cervical spondylosis suggest that traditional manual therapy is ineffective or even contraindicated. This case reports the excellent short-term and long-term response of a 70-year-old patient with MRI-documented cervical spinal stenosis and spinal cord deformation to less traditional, uniquely chiropractic manipulative techniques. This appears to be the first case (reported in the indexed literature) that describes the successful amelioration of the symptoms of cervical spinal stenosis through chiropractic manipulation. More research into the less traditional chiropractic systems of spinal manipulation should be undertaken.
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Jun 2004
Low back pain in Australian adults. health provider utilization and care seeking.
To determine the characteristics of Australian adults who seek care for low back pain (LBP), including the type of care they choose and any factors associated with making those choices. ⋯ This study shows that a majority of people did not seek care for their LBP. The reasons for care seeking proved to be independent of social or economic status.