Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics
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To present an uncommon case of an isolated lamina fracture in the cervical spine found by taking stress films when a routine cervical series failed to demonstrate it. ⋯ A significant percentage of the average chiropractor's practice will involve the management of cervical spine injuries from motor vehicle accidents. The inclusion of stress films in the regular cervical series can reduce the possibility of missing an occult fracture or instability. When neurological complications are absent, such cases can be managed conservatively with the judicious application of spinal manipulative and adjunctive procedures.
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Sep 1994
Measurement and analysis of the in vivo posteroanterior impulse response of the human thoracolumbar spine: a feasibility study.
To (i) measure lumbar intervertebral motion patterns produced during low force, high frequency posteroanterior (PA) thrusts applied to adjacent thoracolumbar spinal segments; (ii) determine the dependence of PA stiffness and impedance characteristics of the thoracolumbar spine on loading frequency; and (iii) ascertain the feasibility of using PA stiffness or impedance to characterize the in vivo mechanical response of the spine during spinal manipulation. ⋯ In vivo kinematic measurements of the normal and pathologic human lumbar spine indicate that low force, PA impulses produce measurable segmental motions and reinforce the notion that mechanical processes play an important role in spinal manipulation and mobilization. Calculations of the peak dynamic stiffness derived from impedance vs. frequency measurements indicate that the dynamic stiffness of the thoracolumbar spine is considerably greater than previously reported stiffness values obtained using static and quasistatic manipulation and mobilization procedures. Computations of spinal input impedance are relatively simple to perform, can provide a noninvasive measure of the dynamic mechanical behavior of the spine, appear to have potential to discriminate pathologic changes to the spine, and warrant further study on a larger sample of normals and patients. Ultimately, chiropractic clinicians may be able to use low force, impact type spinal manipulation, together with dynamic impedance analysis procedures, to quantify the mechanical response of the normal and abnormal spine, to perform spinal diagnosis and subsequently to prescribe therapeutic treatment to patients.
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Jul 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe short-term effect of a spinal manipulation on pain/pressure threshold in patients with chronic mechanical low back pain.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pain/pressure threshold of selected myofascial points in subjects with chronic mechanical back pain after a single manipulation or mobilization. ⋯ The absence of significant changes may be attributed to the selection of myofascial points, the instrument sensitivity to small changes, the differences in baseline measures and the absence of effect from one intervention.
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · May 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialLymphocyte profiles in patients with chronic low back pain enrolled in a clinical trial.
Our earlier findings suggest that patients with musculoskeletal complaints have lower numbers and percentages of natural killer (NK) cells than asymptomatic subjects. This study examines patient lymphocyte profiles, as a secondary outcome measure, in a trial of manipulative therapies to treat chronic low back pain (LBP) of mechanical origin. ⋯ This is the first report of lymphocyte profiles in patients with diagnosed chronic LBP. Our finding of a lower percentage of NK cells in these patients confirms our earlier finding that patients with musculoskeletal problems have a lower percentage of NK cells than do asymptomatic subjects. However, manipulative therapy was not shown to have a clinically significant effect on either the absolute n