美式脊椎矫正枪治疗颈椎病的临床应用体会

目的:观察美式脊椎矫正枪治疗颈椎病的临床疗效。方法:将126例颈椎病患者随机分为治疗组和对照组各63例,对照组治疗方法即西医的常规治疗和中医的辨证分型治疗及针刺治疗,治疗组在对照组治疗基础上加美式脊椎矫正枪治疗。结果:治疗组总有效率为96.8%,对照组总有效率为81.0%,两组疗效比较,治疗组明显优于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:美式脊椎矫正枪治疗颈椎病是一种较理想的治疗方法,值得临床推广。     

筋膜手法的作用机制及在非特异性腰痛康复中的应用进展

腰痛(low back pain,LBP)是大多数人在一生中都会经历的一个极其普遍的疾病.流行病学表明,腰痛的人群患病率为84％[1],致残率为12％[2].腰痛是当今康复领域的热点,然而大多数病例缺乏潜在的病理学和解剖学诊断,被归类为非特异性腰痛(nonspecific low back pain,NSLBP),对于...     

雌激素及相关化合物干预骨关节炎作用机制：关节保护与骨软骨细胞的修复

背景：雌激素通过成骨细胞、破骨细胞、细胞分泌的因子,以及多条骨代谢调控途径参与了骨关节炎骨代谢的调控。目的：综合阐述雌激素及雌激素相关化合物在关节保护、骨与软骨细胞的修复、滑膜炎症的抑制等方面对骨关节炎的作用。方法：作者检索1992至2014年PubMed、Embase、Elseveir数据库文献。检索词为：“Osteoarthritis, Estrogens,Matrix Metal oproteinases,Interleukins,Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha”。按照事先制定的标准逐一评价纳入研究的文献,提取有效资料进行综合分析。结果与结论：雌激素可通过增加成骨细胞中骨保护素和核因子κB受体活化因子配体的表达,抑制破骨性骨吸收,防止骨关节炎的发生和进展。雌激素能上调抗破骨细胞的细胞因子,而下调亲破骨细胞的细胞因子,通过Wnt与骨形态发生蛋白信号系统也参与骨关节炎患者骨代谢的调控。雌激素可以通过下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴的作用促进肾上腺皮质分泌糖皮质激素,从而间接抑制基质金属蛋白酶类的产生,对关节软骨起到保护作用。外源性雌激素通过抑制骨的吸收可能会有助于延缓骨关节炎的发展。雌激素和雌激素相关的化合物在骨关节炎进展的后期阶段可能会抑制滑膜炎症和炎症递质导致的软骨流失。     

Chiropractic and pilates therapy for the treatment of adult scoliosis

OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of Pilates therapy and sacro-occipital technique in the management of a 39-year-old woman with scoliosis who had undergone spinal fusion many years earlier. Clinical Features: The patient had progressive severe low back pain that had worsened over the years after her surgery and had prevented her from activities such as carrying her son or equipment necessary for her job as a photographer. Intervention and Outcome: The patient was provided a series of Pilates exercises used to overcome her chronic habituation and muscle weakness. Although this therapy went on for some time, she did begin to stabilize and increase physical activity. At present, she is no longer limited in her physical activity, although she still exhibits some symptoms from her scoliosis. CONCLUSION: The addition of Pilates therapy can be useful to care for patients with chronic low back pain and deconditioning.     

Effects of exogenous crosslinking on in vitro tensile and compressive moduli of lumbar intervertebral discs

BACKGROUND: Collagen crosslinks may play a vital role in preventing ongoing disc degeneration. Age-accumulating crosslinks have been thought to increase brittleness and reduce fatigue resistance. However recent studies have demonstrated increases in fatigue resistance, joint stability and nutritional flow properties resulting from crosslink augmentation. In this study, multi-directional moduli of bovine lumbar intervertebral discs were measured in vitro, including circumferential tension, radial compression, axial tension, and axial compression in control and crosslinked specimens. METHODS: Four types of annulus fibrosus specimens were dissected from control and crosslinked discs. Cross-sectional areas were measured using a non-contact laser measurement system and then four separate mechanical tests were conducted using a materials testing machine with custom-made loading fixtures. FINDINGS: The circumferential specimens demonstrated the highest moduli in both low stiffness and linear elastic regions. After a crosslink treatment, the modulus increased more in circumferential tension compared to axial tension and more in axial compression compared to radial compression. Other tensile properties had higher increases in circumferential tension compared to axial tension after crosslinking. INTERPRETATION: Assuming form follows function, circumferential tension is the predominant type of stress experienced by non-degenerated annulus fibrosus. The anisotropic mechanical properties of the annulus fibrosus is non-uniformly affected by crosslink augmentation. Dominant effects were in the directions with greater inherent stiffnesses. These results suggest some beneficial effects of crosslink augmentation on the mechanical properties of the annulus fibrosus: increase in ultimate strength, yield strength, toughness, and modulus in the principal stress directions.     

Chiropractic manipulative therapy and low-level laser therapy in the management of cervical facet dysfunction: a randomized controlled study

Purpose

The aim of this study was to determine the short-term effect of chiropractic joint manipulation therapy (CMT) and low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on pain and range of motion in the management of cervical facet dysfunction.

Methods

Sixty ambulatory women between the ages of 18 and 40 years with cervical facet joint pain of more than 30-day duration and normal neurologic examination were randomized to receive 1 of 3 treatment options: (1) CMT of the cervical spine, (2) LLLT applied to the cervical facet joints, or (3) a combination of CMT and LLLT. Each participant received 6 treatments in 3 weeks. The main outcome measures were as follows: the Numerical Pain Rating Scale, Neck Disability Index, Cervical Range of Motion Instrument, and Baseline Digital Inclinometer. Measurements were taken during weeks 1 (baseline), 2, 3, and 4.

Results

No differences existed between the 3 groups at baseline. A significant difference was seen between groups 1 (CMT) and 2 (LLLT) for cervical flexion, between groups 1 (CMT) and 3 (CMT + LLLT) for cervical flexion and rotation, and between groups 2 (LLLT) and 3 (CMT + LLLT) for pain disability in everyday life, lateral flexion, and rotation.

Conclusion

All 3 groups showed improvement in the primary and secondary outcomes. A combination of CMT and LLLT was more effective than either of the 2 on their own. Both therapies are indicated as potentially beneficial treatments for cervical facet dysfunction. Further studies are needed to explore optimal treatment procedures for CMT and LLLT and the possible mechanism of interaction between therapies.     

Measurement and Analysis of Biomechanical Outcomes of Chiropractic Adjustment Performance in Chiropractic Education and Practice

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to compare biomechanical measures of chiropractic adjustment performance of the McTimoney toggle-torque-recoil (MTTR) technique among students and chiropractors.MethodsFifty-three participants (15 year-3 [Y3] and 16 year-5 chiropractic students and 22 McTimoney chiropractors [DCs]) participated in this study. Each applied 10 MTTR thrusts to a dynamic load cell, 5 each with their left and right hands. Biomechanical variables including preload force, peak force, time to peak force, thrust duration, and total thrust time were computed from each of the force-time histories and compared within groups using a series of 2-way analysis of variance to evaluate the effects of sex and handedness, and between groups to determine the effect of experience using a series of 3-way analysis of variance. The Games-Howell post hoc test was used to further assess pairwise comparisons.ResultsMean time to peak force was more than 3 × shorter for DCs (69.96 ms) compared with Y3 students (230.36 ms) (P = .030). Likewise, mean thrust duration was also found to be nearly 2.5-fold significantly shorter for DCs (117.77 ms) compared with Y3 students (283.84 ms) (P = .030). The DCs took significantly less total thrust time (mean = 1.27 seconds) in administering MTTR thrusts than Y3 students (1.89 seconds) (P = .006). No significant differences were found among any of the 3 clinician groups for peak force or in time to peak force or thrust duration for comparisons of all 10 MTTR thrusts among year-5 students and DCs. Higher peak forces were observed for thrusts delivered with clinicians’ dominant hands (P = .001), and the fastest thrusts were found for the dominant hands of DCs (P = .001). Sex had no significant effect on biomechanical variables. The Y3 students had significant greater variability in thrust times for each hand and for analyses of both hands combined (P = .001).ConclusionTraining and experience were found to result in shorter MTTR thrust times and other biomechanical variables that have been identified as important factors in the mechanisms of chiropractic adjustments. Identification of such biomechanical markers as performance outcomes may be of assistance in providing feedback for training in chiropractic education and technique application.     

Chiropractic care and ochronotic arthropathy.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the case of a patient with ochronotic arthropathy whose symptoms were treated with chiropractic care. An emphasis is placed on this condition's radiographic features. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 59-year-old woman with pain in her low back, right knee, and left ankle sought chiropractic evaluation. Black pigmentation was found in the sclera of both eyes, and homogentisic acid was present in the urine. Orthopedic evaluation revealed uncomplicated, nonspecific joint pain, and radiographs demonstrated characteristic spinal changes. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: The patient was treated with chiropractic manipulation, physiotherapy modalities, bracing, and exercises. This type of therapy was successful in reducing the symptoms and helped decrease the severity and frequency of acute exacerbations. CONCLUSION: Ochronotic arthropathY is a rare metabolic disorder that can be diagnosed from spinal radiographs. Chiropractic care is an appropriate tool for reducing its symptomatology.     

Spinal manual therapy produces rapid onset analgesia in a rodent model

A rapid hypoalgesic effect following spinal manual therapy (SMT) has been demonstrated in humans. Although the characteristics of the pain relief are well described, the mechanisms have remained speculative. The purpose of this suite of studies was to investigate the effects of SMT on pain measures using animal models. This study employed a randomized, controlled design. Study 1: Rats without inflammation were allocated to either a treatment group (n = 6) that received three applications of joint mobilization centrally over L5 or a sham-treated group (n = 6) who received non-specific handling. Pressure pain threshold (PPT) and thermal pain threshold (TPT) were measured before and immediately after each intervention. Results demonstrated significantly increased mechanical nociceptive thresholds in the SMT group (p = 0.01) compared to that of the sham-treated group but no difference for thermal nociceptive thresholds. Study 2: The time course effect of an inflammatory and mechanical response following i.pl injection of inflammatory mediators was investigated to determine the appropriate time period for a treatment intervention. Study 3: The effects of SMT on mechanical nociception were investigated following interplanar injection of inflammatory mediators into the right hind paw of rats as a pain model (n = 6 for both SMT and sham-treated groups). Injection of endogenous metabolites produced significant swelling and flaring as well as increased PPT values following SMT (p < 0.02) compared with controls. These results demonstrate a rapid analgesic response following application of SMT, which has similar characteristics as that seen in both symptomatic and asymptomatic human populations.     

Consumer Characteristics and Perceptions of Chiropractic and Chiropractic Services in Australia: Results From a Cross-Sectional Survey

Objective

The purpose of this study was to describe patient characteristics and summarize their perceptions of chiropractic in Australia.

Methods

This study is part of a broader study aiming to extend the knowledge of the role of chiropractic within the current health care environment. A 33-item, paper-based, cross-sectional survey of a sample of patients from 100 systematically sampled chiropractic clinics from all the states and territories of Australia was conducted. The survey focused on patient demographics, socioeconomic status, perceived health status, and perceptions of chiropractic and chiropractic services.

Results

A total of 486 responses were received (24.3% response rate). Respondents were predominantly female patients (67.1%) of the 45- to 64-year age group. Approximately half of the respondents reported a pretax annual income exceeding $40 000. Most patients sought chiropractic services because of musculoskeletal disorders (68.7%) and for general health (21.2%), and personal beliefs motivated most respondents (70.2%) to visit a chiropractor. Most respondents would seek the chiropractic services again (97.5%) and were satisfied with the service received.

Conclusions

The results of this study show that the typical chiropractic patient in Australia is a middle-aged woman with a moderate to high income. Although only a small proportion of the Australian population sees a chiropractor, this group seems to be satisfied with the service.