BACKGROUND Dysfunction of the cervicothoracic spine and the adjacent ribs (also called the shoulder girdle) is considered to predict occurrence and poor outcome of shoulder symptoms. It can be treated with manipulative therapy, but scientific evidence for the effectiveness of such therapy is lacking. OBJECTIVE To study the effectiveness of manipulative therapy for the shoulder girdle in addit...

Ecologists have used a variety of comparative mensurative and manipulative experimental approaches to study the biological consequences of habitat fragmentation. In this paper, we evaluate the merits of the two major approaches and offer guidelines for selecting a design. Manipulative experiments rigorously assess fragmentation effects by comparing preand post-treatment conditions. Yet they are...

Muscle energy technique is an established osteopathic manipulative intervention often used to treat somatic dysfunctions of the spine. There are little objective data to demonstrate its efficacy, however. To determine the efficacy of this osteopathic manipulative technique, the authors compared active cervical range of motion among asymptomatic young and middle-aged adults (n=18) before and aft...

General and isolated cervical positional tests are used to screen for potential vertebro-basilar insufficiency (VBI). There is limited research evaluating vertebral artery blood flow in these positions to justify the rationale of progressive mechanical stress occurring to the arteries. The purpose of the study was to determine vertebral artery blood flow in six cervical positions used in clinic...

Members of the Manipulative Physiotherapists Association of Australia (now Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Australia) were surveyed to determine their use of cervical manipulation, compliance with and attitudes to the Australian Physiotherapy Association's (APA) Protocol for Pre-manipulative Testing of the Cervical Spine, and the incidence of adverse effects from cervical manipulation. The questi...

To the Editor: I read the article by Susan E. Bockenhauer, DO, et al, “Quantifiable effects of osteopathic manipulative techniques on patients with chronic asthma” (J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2002;102:371-375), with interest and concern. Although I commend the authors for attempting to investigate a potential link between manipulation and asthma, I must say that the article and the study itself are ...

In this volume, an article by Hruby and Hoffman titled "Avian influenza: an osteopathic component to treatment" proposes the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) as an adjunct to other forms of therapy in the management of a potential pandemic of avian influenza or "bird flu" [1]. This article is certainly timely and presents a much-needed reminder of the potential use of OMT in the ...

Pregnant women experience extensive physiologic and structural changes during pregnancy that affect their daily functioning. The addition of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) to the standard care of pregnant women has been hypothesized to enhance homeostasis and improve quality of life as the body adapts to these changes. Specifically, it has been postulated that OMT can ease pain in pre...