Event Outline
Spinal manipulation (SM) is the most commonly used tool in the chiropractor’s therapeutic toolbox, but recent evidence shows that the results chiropractors achieve are likely due to a complex combination of biomechanical, biochemical and subtle psychological effects. Each of these elements must be isolated to determine its contribution to the overall clinical outcome, both to maximise therapeutic benefit and to determine appropriate interventions and dosages for different conditions. This can only be done through a combination of basic science and clinical research.
Throughout the history of chiropractic, SM has been claimed to change anatomy, either in structure or position, and that these changes may be the cause of clinical improvements. This presentation provides an overview of a recent study which gathered all the information available in the peer-reviewed literature that studied these effects. More than 19,000 articles were identified, but only 20 fitted the inclusion criteria: 3 studies on vertebral position, 5 on change in facet joint space, 3 on spinal stiffness, 6 on resting muscle thickness, 1 on intervertebral disc pressure, 1 on myofascial hysteresis, and 1 on further damage to already damaged arteries. Following a quality evaluation, 8 articles were considered credible. The credible articles indicated that lumbar facet joint space increased and spinal stiffness decreased but that the resting muscle thickness did not change. This means that there are two promising areas for future study: facet joint space and spinal stiffness.
Learning outcomes
- Determining mechanisms of spinal manipulation is a multi-step process involving both basic science and clinical investigations
- Determining the mechanisms is important to maximise therapeutic benefit and determine appropriate interventions as well as dosages for different conditions
- There have been only a few well-conducted studies on the immediate anatomical responses to spinal manipulation
- Spinal stiffness and facet joint gapping are useful areas for further research
Speaker: Kenneth Young FRCC
Kenneth Young is a Senior Research Fellow in Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, England. A chiropractor with additional training in diagnostic imaging (DACBR), he received his PhD in 2018. Ken previously worked at the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic, University of South Wales, and Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. His research interests include the evidence basis for manual therapies, professionalism and knowledge translation. He is Trustee Chair for the practice-based research network: Chiropractic International Research Collaborative (CIRCuit), and is regularly invited to speak internationally. He also continues to run Young Radiology, a diagnostic imaging interpretation service he founded in 2000.
Chair – Matt Barks FRCC (Pain) (TBC)
Closing date Wednesday 11th December 2024, 5pm
Members free
Non-Members: £35. Please register and pay online here rcc-uk.org/rcc-events