Selecting an appropriate control group or placebo for randomised controlled trials of spinal manipulative therapy is essential to the final interpretation and usefulness of these studies. Prior to starting a randomised controlled trial of spinal manipulative therapy for acute low back pain we wanted to ensure that the placebo selected would be considered appropriate by experts in the field ther...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of manipulative therapy, physiotherapy, treatment by the general practitioner, and placebo therapy in patients with persistent non-specific back and neck complaints. DESIGN Randomised clinical trial. SETTING Primary health care in the Netherlands. PATIENTS 256 patients with non-specific back and neck complaints of at least six weeks' duration who had...

At a time when Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professions are in great demand, the question as to how to cultivate learners’ interests in these fields becomes more urgent. This paper presents valuable guidance in building positive mathematics learning experiences among students of all ages. Using effective, enjoyable, and real-life activities, it presents an innovative,...

Recent studies have demonstrated a decline in the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) by osteopathic physicians, reflecting a trend that may begin in medical school. The authors used a questionnaire to examine the teaching and use of OMT in five rotations and the perceptions of 86 graduating osteopathic medical students of their experiences following their core manipulative medicine...

BACKGROUND We aimed to investigate whether the addition of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or spinal manipulative therapy, or both, would result in faster recovery for patients with acute low back pain receiving recommended first-line care. METHODS 240 patients with acute low back pain who had seen their general practitioner and had been given advice and paracetamol were randomly alloca...

BACKGROUND Osteopathic medical school graduates, who are entering allopathic residencies in increasing numbers, want to maintain their osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) skills, but such residency programs do not include osteopathic curricula. OBJECTIVES To describe the development and implementation of an osteopathic curriculum within an allopathic family medicine residency, and to eval...

The majority of Canadian children are not physically active enough for healthy development. School playgrounds are a primary location to promote physical activity and motor skill practice. The benefits of children's play in nature have also been highlighted, but few studies have evaluated children's access and exposure to nature for play on school grounds. This study examined children's access ...

Previous studies have demonstrated that the initial hypoalgesic effect of spinal manipulative therapy was not antagonized by naloxone and did not exhibit tolerance with repeated applications. The implication is that endogenous opioid mechanisms of pain relief are probably not at play in spinal manipulative therapy. The role of endogenous opioid peptides in manipulation of the peripheral joints ...