Australasian chiropractic & osteopathy : journal of the Chiropractic & Osteopathic College of Australasia最新文献

A discussion is presented outlining the necessary elements required of chiropractors to work successfully in hospitals.

The first edition of the Journal of the Chiropractic and Osteopathic College of Australasia was known as COMSIG Review and was published in November, 1992 to coincide with a large conference that COCA had organised in Melbourne.In the first few years the majority of articles were magazine style reviews, similar to these found in the Australian Family Physician. The first Editor was Bruce Walker and subsequent Editors have included John Drinkwater, Stephanie Campbell and John Reggars. The current Editors in Chief, Peter Tuchin and Henry Pollard, are staff members at Macquarie University, Centre of Chiropractic, with a strong background in science and research and both are currently undertaking post-graduate research degrees.Over several years the magazine review style was changed in keeping with a more full journal format. An Editorial Board was formed, comprised of chiropractors, osteopaths and medical practitioners, some of whom are world renowned in their particular field of research.By March, 1996 it was decided to change the name of the journal to Australasian Chiropractic and Osteopathy (ACO). This was a purposeful move to reflect the maturing of the journal and also the growth of the College and in the five years since November 1992, seventy-nine scientific articles have been published.It is anticipated that the journal will continue to be widely distributed throughout the world, with current subscriptions from all Australian undergraduate chiropractic and osteopathic institutions and the vast majority of international undergraduate institutions.ACO is currently indexed with Mantis (formerly Chirolars). The Editorial Panel continue to strive for Australasian Chiropractic and Osteopathy inclusion into Index Medicus and thereby Medline. However, it is recognised that readership of chiropractic journals is very low throughout the world and it is unlikely in the near future that any chiropractic journal other than the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics will be included in Index Medicus.The lack of mainstream international indexing will not stop or prevent the College from producing a first rate journal into the future years of the professions. In fact with the now steady growth in Australian chiropractic and osteopathic research, it is envisaged that ACO will be Australia's leading professional journal. We trust our membership enjoy reading the journal and find many of its articles instructional.We look forward to any comments from members relating to the production of the journal and any suggestions will be welcomed.

The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency components of accelerations measured on the spinous processes of vertebrae caused by chiropractic treatments, and to speculate as to the origin of the various components. We found distinct acceleration signals in the range of 0-50 Hz and above 200 Hz. The low frequency components were convincingly matched to the displacements caused by the manipulative forces; the high frequency components were found to be similar in duration and shape to confirmed cavitations in synovial joints, thus they were speculated to originate from the spinal facet joints.

Chiropractors claim to be able to influence sites far removed from the point of application of spinal adjustment. Little scientific research has, however, been conducted showing conclusively that the spine and associated structures have an influence on distal function. Demonstration of such influence on distal tissues would aid in the scientific validation of Chiropractic by other health professionals and facilitate treatment of peripheral injuries such as hamstring strains. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a manipulation of the sacroiliac joint on the mechanical function of the hip joint. The results demonstrate that the sacroiliac joint manipulation did not statistically alter the range of motion of the hip joint.

Primary care practitioners are ideally situated to carry out health promotion activities. Neural tube defects are of a fairly low incidence, but the consequences are tragic. They range from life long physical and often intellectual disabilities, to death at birth. Increased folate intake, either through eating folate rich foods or through supplementation, has been shown to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects in newborns by up to 75%. Encouraging all women of child-bearing age to increase their folate intake could thus prevent a significant number of neural tube defects occurring in the Australian population.

Objective: To present the characteristics of four cases of migraine, who were included as participants in a prospective trial on chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine.

Method: Participants in a migraine research trial, were reviewed for the symptoms or clinical features and their response to manual therapy.

Results: The four selected cases of migraine responded dramatically to SMT, with numerous self reported symptoms being either eliminated or substantially reduced. Average frequency of episodes was reduced on average by 90%, duration of each episode by 38%, and use of medication was reduced by 94%. In addition, several associated symptoms were substantially reduced, including nausea, vomiting, photophobia and phonophobia.

Discussion: The various cases are presented to assist practitioners making a more informed prognosis.

The ability to critique the literature and source out relevant information to answer a clinical question is a skill that is being introduced into the under-graduate curricula of most health professions. Posing a clinical question on therapy, sourcing the literature, reviewing critically what you find and then hopefully answering the question is central to the evidence-based method. The very foundation of clinical teaching and clinical practice will in the future rely on the "evidence-based method". A checklist is the easiest and quickest way to review journal articles.

Objective: To test the efficacy of Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) in the treatment of migraine, using an uncontrolled clinical trial.

Design: A clinical trial of six months duration. The trial consisted of 3 stages: two months of pre-treatment, two months of treatment, and two months post treatment. Comparison was made to initial baseline episodes of migraine preceding commencement of SMT.

Setting: Chiropractic Research Centre of Macquarie University.

Participants: Thirty two volunteers, between the ages of 23 to 60 were recruited through media advertising. The diagnosis of migraine based on a detailed questionnaire, regarding self reported symptoms or signs, with minimum of one migraine with aura per month.

Interventions: Two months of SMT provided by an experienced chiropractor at a university clinic.

Main outcome measures: Participants completed diaries during the entire trial noting the frequency, intensity, duration, disability, associated symptoms and use of medication for each migraine episode. In addition, clinic records were compared to their diary entries of migraine episodes.

Results: A total of fifty nine participants responded to the advertising, with twenty five being excluded or deciding not to continue in the trial. Two participants (5.9%) withdrew during the trial, one due to alteration in work situation and one following soreness after SMT. The Chiropractic SMT group showed statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05) in migraine frequency and duration, when compared to initial baseline levels. Only one participant (3.1%) reported that the migraine episodes were worse after the two months of SMT, and this was not sustained at the two month post treatment follow up period.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that Chiropractic SMT is an effective treatment for migraine with aura. However, due to the cyclical nature of migraine with aura, and the finding that episodes usually reduce following any intervention, further research is required. A prospective randomised controlled trial utilising detuned EPT (interferential), a sham manipulation group and an SMT group is nearing conclusion. It is anticipated this trial will provide further information of the efficacy of Chiropractic SMT in the treatment of migraine with aura.

A case of heel pain is presented. The clinical presentation implicates the pathological processes of acute retrocalcaneal bursitis, Achilles tendinosis, partial rupture of the tendon possibly as a result of repetitive corticosteroid injection, and subsequent calf atrophy and functional disability. Finally, aspects of predisposing factors, biomechanics, pathology, and clinical management of Achilles tendon disorders are reviewed in the discussion.