ICAK-USA Research
The Following is a Compilation of Applied
Kinesiology Research Papers Published in the Collected Papers
of the International
College of Applied Kinesiology for the year 1986 (Summer)
-- Edited by
Scott Cuthbert, D.C.
LEARNING DIFFICULTIES VIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF APPLIED
KINESIOLOGY, SPECIFICALLY, THE FERRARI NEURAL ORGANIZATION METHOD
Mitchell R. Corwin, D.C.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
To present a case series report on the treatment of 23 patients who were
diagnosed with learning disabilities.
Clinical Features: The selection criteria used were positive tests of neural
disorganization (as defined by Dr. Carl Ferrari who developed the Neuro-Organizational Technique (N.O.T.), using AK
evaluation tools), and imbalances in standing gait muscle testing. Patients or
parents completed a one-page questionnaire also.
Intervention and Outcome: The length of treatment for this case series is not described, but
the frequency of positive physical findings found and
corrected are given. The N.O.T. method of diagnosis and treatment was used
in all cases. A questionnaire was given to the 23 patients or their parents,
and of those who responded, 89% rated the treatment successful.
Conclusion:
Further clinical trials of this method of therapy, with larger numbers of
children, more specific documentation, and corroborating diagnostic methods for
the diagnosis of learning disability in the study group are required. From the
information in this report, the N.O.T. treatment of some children with learning
disabilities may be promising. (Collected Papers International College of
Applied Kinesiology, Summer, 1986:61-67)
Key Indexing Terms: Learning Disabilities; Adult Learning Disorders; Case Reports;
Cohort Studies; Treatment; Chiropractic; Kinesiology, Applied
LOW BACK PAIN REPORT
Richard Meldener,
D.C., D.I.B.A.K.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
To present the case of a patient with chronic low back pain who was
successfully treated by exchanging his poorly fitting glasses with contact
lenses.
Clinical Features: A 19-year-old male presents with chronic LBP who had improved
symptoms by 70% using standard AK methods, with 30% residual pain appearing at
the end of the day.
Intervention and Outcome: Observation of the patient’s glasses reveals that they slide down
and rest on the end of his nose. When the patient reads and writes (8 hours out
of the day) the frames slide 1 centimeter toward the tip of his nose. AK MMT
examination is performed while the patient reads a magazine with his glasses
on. The glasses are in the habitual 1 cm down-the-nose position. During this
reading, the following AK tests are found positive: the patient is
neurologically disorganized, upper cervical pain is present, and a bilateral
gluteus maximus weakness is found. L5 has positive TL
and is painful to palpation. Each of these tests are negative within 30 seconds
after the patient begins to read with the glasses maintained in position with
his finger holding the glasses in place near the eyes. The patient was advised
to purchase contact lenses and he has been pain free in his low back ever
since.
Conclusion:
In this case, AK MMT testing was able to demonstrate to the patient and the
examiner that the incorrect use of glasses was creating low back pain and
correction of this problem resolved his low back pain. (Collected Papers
International College of Applied Kinesiology, Summer, 1986:213-215)
Key Indexing Terms: Low Back Pain; Reading;
Task Performance and Analysis; Case Reports; Treatment; Diagnosis;
Manipulation, Chiropractic; Kinesiology, Applied
LOW BACK PAIN AND DEPRESSION: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 129
CASES
John F. Thie,
D.C.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
To present a retrospective observational cohort study to assess the correlation
between the presence of low back pain and depression in chiropractic patients.
Clinical Features: One-hundred and twenty-nine consecutive presenting cases with low
back pain are assessed for the presence of depression. This information was
collected from history forms that were filled out by the patients on their
initial visit to the doctor’s office.
Intervention and Outcome: The data revealed that 7 patients, or 5.5%, had an entrance
complaint of both low back pain and depression. Twenty-five, or 19%, stated
that they had previously suffered from depression. Fourteen patients, or 11%,
of the patients stated that they were currently suffering from depression.
Sixty-six patients, or 51%, stated that they had never suffered from
depression. There were 24 patients who left this question blank on their
questionnaires.
Conclusion:
Although this study demonstrates that only 5.5% of patients with low back pain
also had depression, the data also show that 30% of new patients in a
chiropractic office presently have or previously have had depression.
(Collected Papers International College of Applied Kinesiology, Summer,
1986:277-279)
Key Indexing Terms: Comorbidity; Low Back Pain;
Depression; Cohort Studies; Kinesiology, Applied
INTER-EXAMINER AGREEMENT IN APPLIED KINESIOLOGY MANUAL
MUSCLE TESTING
Katharine M. Conable,
D.C., Bert T. Hanicke, D.C.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
To present an observational cohort study on the inter-examiner agreement of the
manual muscle test.
Clinical Features: Two ICAK diplomates, with 20 and 13 years
experience, were the examiners. The subjects were 11 subjects (6 females, 5
males) who had AK experience, between 21 and 40 years-of-age. Subjects were
taken to a room to lay supine for 5 minutes on a flat table. During the tests
the subjects were instructed to look straight at the ceiling and take no breath
in or out during the actual MMT, keeping the breath neutral.
Intervention and Outcome: The first examiner came into the room and tested the following
muscles bilaterally in the following order: pectoralis
major (sternal division), middle deltoid, upper trapezius, rectus femoris, and tensor fascia lata.
Any test which was questionable as to eye position, head position, phase of
respiration, or accidental TL (patient touching their own
body) was redone. Results were recorded as strong or weak for each muscle
tested. The first examiner left the room after asking the subject to stay
supine and to refrain from discussing the tests with the second examiner. The
second examiner came into the room and repeated the above instructions and
tests. Taking all 110 separate MMTs performed, overall
agreement between examiners was 78.2%. However, when individual subjects were
considered, 3 had 100% agreement, 4 had 90% agreement, and 4 had less than 90%
agreement. Three of the 4 patients who had less than 90% agreement demonstrated
cranial faults that produced muscle inhibition on specific phases of
respiration. When these faults were corrected with the usual AK procedures, and
the original MMT procedure was repeated, inter-examiner agreement was found to
be 100%. The greatest discrepancies between examiners were found with the pectoralis major (sternal
division) (32% disagreement), and the tensor fascia lata
muscle (27% disagreement).
Conclusion:
For the majority of subjects and muscles the agreement between experienced
examiners with relatively few controls on how the tests were performed was
excellent – 90% or better. It appears that cranial and sacral respiratory
faults should be eliminated early in the examination for achieving the highest
reliability of the MMT. (Collected Papers International College of Applied
Kinesiology, Winter, 1986:1-13)
Key Indexing Terms: Reliability; Muscle test; Cohort Studies; Kinesiology, Applied
STUDY OF SPECIFIC MUSCLES TO DETERMINE DISC LESION AND
CORRECTION
H. Louis
Obersteadt, D.C.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
To present a retrospective case series report on the correlation between the AK
category III finding and specific muscle weaknesses in a group of patients with
low back, leg pain, or both.
Clinical Features: Dr. John Bandy reports that specific muscles can be tested to
identify specific intervertebral disc involvements.
Dr. Goodheart presented the category III method of
examination in his 1975 Research Manual. The design of this study was to
see if there was a statistical correlation between these two methods of
assessment.
Intervention and Outcome: In this report, the category III was determined by having the
patient TL to the spinous processes of adjacent
vertebra, and a weak muscle is tested for strengthening or a strong muscle is
tested for weakening. If there is a change in muscle strength, then the
transverse processes are challenged apart or together to determine the
direction of disc protrusion and direction of correction. Dr. Bandy reports
that the gastrocnemius, anterior tibial,
and the rectus femoris
(straight head) muscles were related to the L5 disc/S1 nerve root, L4 disc/L5
nerve root, and L3 disc/L4 nerve root respectively. The anterior tibial was found weak in 5 of the 50 patients tested, and
there was a 100% correlation for L4/L5 nerve root involvement between the two
techniques. The gastrocnemius was found weak in 21 of
the 50 patients, and there was a 98% correlation for L5/S1 nerve root
involvement between the two techniques. The rectus femoris was found weak in 24 of the 50 patients tested, and
there was a 100% correlation between the two techniques.
Conclusion:
The accuracy of each of these diagnostic methods is enhanced when the two
different methods diagnose the same problem in patients. (Collected Papers
International College of Applied Kinesiology, Winter, 1986:83-87)
Key Indexing Terms: Low Back Pain; Sciatica; Diagnosis, Differential; Cohort
Studies; Diagnosis; Kinesiology, Applied
BUT WHAT IF THERE’S NO WATER IN THE HOSE?
Walther H. Schmitt, Jr., D.C.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
The rationale and necessity for nutritional testing and supplementation in the
chiropractic practice is presented in relation to a patient with a long history
of back pain. A review of the importance of nutritional support for difficult
patients with complex neurological problems is offered.
Clinical Features: A 32-year-old female with a long history of low back pain that had
been stable for over one year presented with severe neck pain and limited ROM.
Two months previously she had been restricted from eating eggs by her medical
physician due to mildly elevated serum cholesterol. Eggs are a good source of choline, and proved to be the only major source of choline in this patient’s diet.
Intervention and Outcome: She was treated for the neck pain that was primarily from a right levator scapula muscle weakness with compensatory spasm of
the left. She was 60% improved after treatment and fully recovered a few days
later from the neck problem. The next day she went water skiing and her low
back was in acute pain and antalgia, and was seen on
an emergency basis. AK treatment, including correcting psoas
muscle weakness, totally relieved her low back pain, but re-examining her
posture after treatment showed the pattern of the earlier neck muscle imbalance
to be present. When the levator scapula was treated
again, the psoas weakness returned. When the psoas was treated again, the levator
scapula weakness returned. When asked about dietary changes and the elimination
of eggs, the examiner placed choline in the patient’s
mouth which strengthened the levator scapula muscle
without the psoas muscle weakening, and vice versa. Choline supplementation was given to her and she was
instructed to eat eggs again, but to limit them to 3 a week. She has not needed
to be treated for either low back or neck pain in over a year.
Conclusion:
In this case, the effectiveness of general dietary evaluation and counseling as
well as appropriate nutritional supplementation was critical in solving the
challenging problems of this patient. (Collected Papers International College
of Applied Kinesiology, Winter, 1986:125-144)
Key Indexing Terms: Low Back Pain; Neck Pain; Choline;
Case Reports; Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition; Treatment;
Diagnosis; Manipulation, Chiropractic; Kinesiology, Applied
POSITIVE ZINC TALLY AND THE FREQUENCY OF CRANIAL FAULTS
AND TEMPORAL MANDIBULAR JOINT INVOLVEMENT
Allan Zatkin,
D.C.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
To present a sequential sample of 102 new patients who presented for treatment
in a chiropractic office that were given the zinc taste test (ZTT) or zinc
tally, and to compare the number of these zinc deficient patients to the number
of patients with positive signs of cranial faults and/or temporal mandibular joint involvement.
Clinical Features: The zinc tally is a saturated solution of zinc sulfate-hydrated as septahydrate which produces a varied flavor response when insalivated. The more zinc present in the patient, the
stronger the metallic taste of the zinc tally solution.
Intervention and Outcome: Sixteen patients who scored a grade of 1 (zinc deficient) on the
zinc tally test had 6 positive cranial faults and two TMJ involvements. Of 32
patients who scored a grade of 2 (zinc deficient, less severe), 11 showed
positive cranial faults and 7 TMJ involvements. Of 31 patients who scored a
grade of 3 (zinc deficiency, equivocal), 5 showed positive cranial faults and 5
positive TMJ involvements. Of 23 patients who scored a grade of 4, there were 0
cranial faults found and 4 positive TMJ involvements. In three cases,
correction of the cranial or TMJ involvements brought on an immediate taste
sensation on post-zinc tally testing. This was also observed on correction of
small intestine dysfunction in one of the cases.
Conclusion:
Cranial faults were noted with all scores that showed any signs of zinc
deficiency using the zinc tally test, while TMJ involvements were present no
matter the grade of zinc tally. (Collected Papers International College of
Applied Kinesiology, Winter, 1986:179-181)
Key Indexing Terms: Zinc; Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition;
Nutritional Status; Diagnosis; Chiropractic; Kinesiology, Applied
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