CJA Vol.37 Issue 1Editorial: If B.J. Were Alive Today... - p125 Preliminary Report: Practice-Based Measures of
Wellbeing in a Typical Australian Chiropractic Practice -
p126 Public Perception of Chiropractic: A Survey -
p135 Case Report: Chiropractic Care of a Patient with Low
Back Pain and Primary Dysmenorrhea - p141 Disasters, Discoveries, Developments and
Distinction: The Year That Was 1907 - p145 The Best of Books for 2007: This One’s for Joe -
p158 In Memoriam: Joseph C. Keating, Jr - p157 ABSTRACTS ROBERTO deSOUZA, PHILLIP EBRALL and AMANDA KIMPTON Objective: To report the development and application of a practice-based research question that allowed a preliminary exploration of whether patients are able to offer a useful subjective response to a number of colloquial measures of wellbeing. Setting: A private practice of chiropractic in a provincial Australian city. Methods: Practitioner review of independently selected patient records that contained a completed self-report by the patient of any perceived improvement against nominated plain-language indicators of wellbeing. Also counted were the number of patients reporting improvement against their presenting complaint and the self-reported size of any such improvement. Results: For the measures of wellbeing the strongest mean frequency of response was 52.9% for improved walking and the weakest, 8.1% for breathing. Strong mean response frequencies were also found for sitting (49.7%), standing (46.7%), sleeping (46.4%), and improved wellbeing (43%). The frequency data for headache, neck pain, thoracic pain and low back pain do not suggest this cohort was atypical. Patients were able to self-report size of improvement against their presenting complaint, which suggests a capability to self-report improvement against wellbeing indicators. Discussion: This preliminary report allows the suggestion that patients are able to identify with a variety of terms to describe their perceived changes in health status beyond those changes expected to be related to the presenting complaint. This is new knowledge in that it offers a variety of colloquial terms that may fit within a practice-based paradigm of wellness. The data also suggest the number of patients reporting improvement in several indicators of wellbeing is of sufficient size to warrant further investigation. The authors appreciate this work has a number of weaknesses, yet we report it in good faith as an example of critical thinking in chiropractic practice. After all, formal research has to have a beginning, but it is rare for the preliminary thinking to be reported as in this paper. We specifically state the data are indicative and non-inferential. Conclusion: Patients presenting with a musculoskeletal complaint to one particular chiropractic clinic in an Australian provincial setting are able to offer a response to a number of subjective, practice-based or colloquial measures of wellbeing. The proportion of patients able to do this is substantial and worthy of further investigation. INDEX TERMS: (ICL): WELLNESS; HEALTH SURVEY; PREVENTIVE HEALTH SERVICES; EVIDENCE-BASED CHIROPRACTIC; CHIROPRACTIC/AUSTRALIA. (MeSH): CHIROPRACTIC; HEALTH PROMOTION; HEALTH CARE SURVEY. Public Perception of Chiropractic: A Survey KYLIE WILSON, KATE SWINCER and SUBRAMANYAM VEMULPAD Background: There is limited data on the public’s perception of chiropractic. Objective: To identify the public’s perception about what chiropractic is and their views about chiropractors’ role in health care. Design: A survey was conducted to gather the public’s perception using a 29-item questionnaire. The questions related to any history of chiropractic use, their opinion on chiropractic, risks or concerns regarding care, chiropractic education, etc. Results: Of the 182 respondents, the majority (76%) believed that chiropractors work with bones, muscles and joints, with only 10% believing that chiropractors work on the nervous system. Only 18% believed that prevention was a focus of chiropractic care. Of the 155 responses regarding satisfaction with chiropractic care, 81% were happy with their treatment, 6% were unhappy and 12% were unsure. For the 6% that were unhappy, concerns related to costs and the number of visits required. Most respondents believed that chiropractors treat people adolescent age and above. Thirty-four percent (34%) and 56% believed that chiropractors are as well trained as GPs and physiotherapists, respectively. Sixty-four percent (64%) of participants perceived that chiropractic is not dangerous, 57% were interested to know more, and 19% responded that they needed convincing to see a chiropractor. Conclusion: Participants in general were interested in chiropractic and held no real concerns regarding risks or cost involved, however there appears to be a lack of information available to the public for them to be better informed about chiropractic. This information could help the profession’s efforts in making chiropractic a better-understood and more-accepted modality through effective education and communication. INDEX TERMS: MeSH: CHIROPRACTIC; PATIENT CARE; PATIENT EDUCATION; ATTITUDE TO HEALTH; HEALTH PROMOTION. OTHER: PUBLIC PERCEPTION; PROMOTION. Case Report: Chiropractic Care of a Patient with Low Back Pain and Primary Dysmenorrhoea DAVID SMITH Objective: To describe chiropractic care of a patient with chronic low back pain located in the region of L4, L5, the lumbosacral and sacroiliac joints, as well as primary dysmenorrhoea. Clinical Features: A 36-year-old female with depression and asthma initiated chiropractic care with pain and stiffness in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spines. In addition, she experienced regular tension headaches, a tingling sensation in the soles of both feet, numbness of the S3 dermatome, and dysmenorrhoea. Neurological examination revealed a bilaterally absent Achilles reflex. Radiographs revealed postural alteration, spondylosis of T10 and a posterior ponticle. Positive orthopaedic tests included Eden’s, Kemp’s, Ely heel-to-buttock, and iliac compression. Subluxations were detected in the patient’s left sacrum, thoracic and cervical spine. Intervention: The patient was treated with specific, high-velocity, low-amplitude adjustments to sites of vertebral and sacroiliac subluxations. The patient’s response to care ranged from a progressive reduction to complete loss of all reported symptoms. Conclusion: Although it is difficult to accurately diagnose the exact cause of back pain, it is vital to exclude conditions that are out of the scope of chiropractic practice prior to adjusting. Possible causes of low back pain are discussed, as are the differences in primary and secondary dysmenorrhoea, and how chiropractic may help with primary dysmenorrhoea INDEX TERMS: CHIROPRACTIC; LOW BACK PAIN; POLYRADICULOPATHY; RADIOCULOPATHY; DYSMENORRHEA; INTERVERTEBRAL DISK. (Other) DISK LESION; MENSTRUAL CRAMPS, MENSTRUAL PAIN. Disasters, Discoveries, Developments and Distinction: The Year That Was 1907 ROLF E. PETERS and MARY ANN CHANCE During 1907, D.D. Palmer went back to commerce briefly before returning to teaching chiropractic, and his former student Thomas Storey faced prosecution for injuries thought to have resulted in a patient’s death. B.J. Palmer announced special chiropractic courses for osteopaths and medical practitioners and a one-off bridging course for “pseudos.” He also established a night school, invested heavily in teaching aids, published Volume 2 of The Science of Chiropractic and made a number of practice aids available to the profession. In a premeditated test cast, Palmer graduate Shegataro Morikubo and the Universal Chiropractors’ Association (UCA) legal team established chiropractic as separate and distinct from medicine and osteopathy. The year was also characterised by catastrophic earthquakes, floods, mine explosions, rail disasters and shipwrecks, achievements in women’s suffrage, an important scientific discovery and establishment of a number of modern icons. INDEX TERMS: CHIROPRACTIC; HISTORY OF MEDICINE, 20TH CENTURY; HISTORICAL ARTICLE The Best of Books for 2007: This One's for Joe PHILLIP EBRALL Objective: To present reviews of publications released during 2007 that were considered relevant to the practice and profession of chiropractic, and to gather these by cognate themes. Discussion: A total of 14 works are included in this review paper. The most outstanding works are the Thieme series of atlases and DVDs of human anatomy. Other works of note include the second edition of Jamison’s Differential Diagnosis which now comes with an interactive CD, a second edition of the excellent Biomechanics of Back Pain, and new editions from Warren Hammer and Tom Hyde. A new inclusion is a review of an historic text with the view to raising the collective level of appreciation for those authors who worked hard to set the foundation for today’s successful publications. Conclusion: The lower than usual number of releases does not predicate on the profession in any negative fashion at this time. While the quantity is low the quality is better than ever. INDEX TERMS: INDEX TERMS: MeSH: CHIROPRACTIC; AUSTRALIA. |
 Here you will find information concerning the CAA's flagship publications. |
