Spinal Manipulation In Medical News

 In recent medical news on www.medpagetoday.com, a study was described in which "osteopathic manipulative therapy was effective in alleviating chronic low back pain to a clinically significant degree."

 Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy (OMT) is Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy without the word 'osteopathic." The study indicated that over the course of 8 weeks and 6 sessions in total, those receiving OMT had a 30% or more reductions in their pain levels. Those who were not receiving the actual OMT were instead, receiving a sham version of the treatment. Furthermore, it was found that patients were more likely to experience 50% improvements in pain levels if they were receiving manipulative therapy.

A lower back spinal manipulation movement

 This is significant news for OMT practitioners and chiropractors alike as the methods used to relieve musculoskeletal and joint pain are similar. Manipulative therapy, in general, relies on improving the range-of-motion across a joint segment. When range-of-motion is compromised, the neurology of a joint is affected and pain arises. Chiropractors and Osteopaths who choose to utilize manipulation restore the function of a joint space by affecting the soft-tissues that cross said joint.

 The beauty of this study is that it serves to confirm what many have known previously, that because we as humans are dynamic creatures who rely upon movement, soft tissues and joints are affected. When the biomechanics of these joint segments become altered and ultimately aberrant, pain ensues.

ESPN Injury Headlines: The Adductor Strain

The Adductor muscles of the thigh

The latest injury suffered by Kevin Garnett, power forward/center for the Boston Celtics has been diagnosed as a strained left adductor muscle. We must recall that the terms sprain/strain refer to injuries to the ligaments and muscles, respectively.

In this case, Garnett injured the adductor group within the left thigh but as you can see here, the adductors are really a group of muscles. It would be difficult to figure out which of the muscles he injured specifically, whether it was the brevis or longus, but treatment would probably not change much in either case.

The adductors are essential for lateral movement, and in Garnett's situation, the most difficult way to move would be laterally to the right as the muscle group would have to contract to carry the entirety of the leg in that direction.

Treatment should be aimed at passively moving the leg in an effort to keep the hip joint capsule active, while also alternating heat and cold on the affected area to stimulate healing while also preventing excessive inflammation. Massage of the affected tissues would also be indicated in large part to stimulate blood flow to the region. Were he not able to rest the muscle to allow for maximum recovery, taping the upper thigh would also be beneficial, especially during and after the game was played. Lastly and most obviously, stretching of the left thigh would certainly be indicated.

Interesting News On The Medical Front

 Rehabilitation & Spinal Care of Rockford is concerned with your overall health and wellness, and in this vein attempts to provide it's blog readers with current medical information that is pertinent to them. In this particular case, a recent bit of news came out of the cardiovascular realm of medicine which has implications for musculoskeletal and nutritional health.

 One of the front-line medications for heart disease is a Niaspan, a niacin (vitamin B3) based medicine that helps to lower "bad" cholesterol (LDL, triglycerides) and raise "good" cholesterol (HDL) in the bloodstream. The express purpose of lowering the aforementioned "bad" cholesterol levels is lowering the risks of strokes and heart attacks.

 This study, the HPS-2-THRIVE, found that the extended-release niacin/laropiprant medication used in the study, while helping to raise the "good" cholesterol, has dubious value in preventing adverse vascular events. Overall, the patients within the study, and there were 25,673 of them, did experience an average drop of 10 mg/dl in LDL values and 33 mg/dl in triglyceride values, but that those drops did not result in less vascular events (stroke, heart disease).

 This is relevant to the patients of RASC Rockford in large part because of the use of niacin as a supplement to affect cholesterol levels. It also affects RASC patients because the typical next treatment for patients with cholesterol problems is a statin-drug. Statins affect the production of cholesterol within the body and can cause vague musculo-skeletal problems in patients who are taking the medication. This can be remedied with the use of CoQ-10 supplementation and RASC provides the highest quality CoQ-10 to it's patients.