JMPT Highlights

Cervical spine fracture. Schmitz et al (p. 633) report on an unusual case of immediate onset of neck pain after cervical manipulation and suggest clinical considerations for similar cases.

Do transitional spinal segments cause pain? Peterson et al (p. 570) investigate if male and female patients with and without transitional lumbosacral vertebrae present with differences in pain and disability levels.

Acetabular labral tears. Schmerl et al (p. 632) review the literature and report on the current knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of acetabular labral tears.

Measuring cervical lordosis. Harrison et al (p. 597) compare flexicurve surface contour measurements of the cervical spine with radiographic measurements of cervical lordosis.

The force of palpation. Marcotte et al (p. 591) measure the pressure applied during motion palpation for cervical spine rotation and look at the effect of the pressure of palpation on the interexaminer reliability.

Helping geriatric patients. Hess and Woollacott (p. 582) evaluate the effect of a 10-week high-intensity strength-training program targeting lower extremity muscles for the purpose of improving postural control in balance-impaired older adults.

A closer look at leg length. Knutson and Owens (p. 575) investigate the association between a commonly used sign of joint dysfunction, supine leg-length alignment asymmetry, and the endurance of the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum muscles.

Is palpation valid? Fernández-de-las-Peñas et al (p. 610) compare the lateral gliding test for intervertebral joint dysfunctions of the lower cervical spine to radiological assessment for patients with mechanical neck pain.

Searching for the cause of cervical artery dissections. Haneline and Lewkovich (p. 617) provide an estimate of the etiologic breakdown of cervical artery dissections reported in the previous decade.

Chiropractic in managed care. Nelson et al (p. 564) investigate if the inclusion of a chiropractic benefit for the treatment of low back and neck pain resulted in a reduction in the rates of surgery, advanced imaging, inpatient care, and plain-film radiographs.

Is high tech better? Agarwal et al (p. 604) compare measurements of the simple, clinical cervical spine Spin-T goniometer with that of a high-resolution motion-tracking system for cervical ranges of motion.

Costs for the care of low back pain. Haas et al (p. 555) find that chiropractic care is relatively cost-effective for the treatment of chronic low back pain, whereas chiropractic and medical care are comparable for apteints with the acute condition.

Flexion-relaxation phenomenon. Colloca and Hinrichs (p. 623) review the biomedical literature to ascertain the biomechanical and clinical significance of the lumbar erector spinae flexion-relaxation phenomenon.