Donald McDowall's Blog

An eclectic collection of health related issues, mainly focussed on Applied Kinesiology and Chiropractic.
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140-Piriformis, Brachioradialis, BCC, Pneumonia, Fake eggs, ITB syndrome, Hamstrings

Posted by: in MyBlog on Jan 09, 2011

Tagged in: Untagged 

Hi Everyone,
This newsletter contains a number of articles relating to muscles.  an interesting article about how the Brachioradialis (elbow muscle) can grow in different shapes for different people.  I just couldn't resist giving you the link describing how the Chinese can copy everything even an egg.  How a hamstring muscle is most commonly injured after foot strike and in flexion or over contraction.  Sounds to me more likely that the cause of these injuries are more related to quadriceps inhibition resulting in hamstring over contraction.  Research is still working towards the "great" discovery of primary muscle inhibition as a cause of contraction injuries.  But the evidence is mounting.  Maybe a good remedy for everything is Greek dancing.  A new study describes how it keeps you mentally and physically fit.  I have worked with Greek people through out my life.  They are some of the smartest business people I know and certainly are experts in good food and relaxing.  I guess somebody just had to study the after effects of "Zorba"!  Enjoy,  Donald

PS.  Here is Dr. Maffetone's latest sport's blog addition.

1. A response to the British Chiropractor's Council.
2. Manipulation changes skin temperature.
3. If it smells bad, it will probably make you sick.
4. Osteopathic manipulation helps pneumonia.
5. Chinese make fake eggs
6. Ilio tibial band syndrome.
7. An MRI scan causes changes in brain function.
8. The brachioradialis muscle can be designed differently.
9. Emotion induced asthma can be caused by the body
10. Autistic children have immature standing and side posture development.
11. Foot orthotics help standing and side movement balance at the start of walking.
12. Rippled insoles don't do much to help Multiple Sclerosis patients.
13. Age effects on posture do not make walking worse.
14. Hamstring injury is at greatest risk after foot strike.
15. Sunshine may not supply enough Vit D.
16. The 7 "engines" of muscle testing from Neurolink.
17. Hip manipulation strengthens muscles.
18. Body checking in ice hockey creates 3 times more injuries
19. Pain acts independently from distraction
20. Greek dances help mental and physical health.
21. Dental splints help relax masseter muscles.
22. Spinal manipulation of the neck is gentler than range of movement studies.
23. Researchers "spin" the results of their research.
24. Bad breath is related to dental anxiety.
25. A 6 position test for piriformis problems.
26. Sleep deprivation impares memory.
27. I love this Chinese proverb
28. Acupuncture helps jaw pain.
29. Your smartphone is transforming health care:
30. Exercise training reduces anxiety:

1. A response to the British Chiropractor's Council.  "The United Kingdom␣s regulatory body for the chiropractic profession recently issued a document on claims made for the vertebral subluxation complex (VSC), which states that the VSC is an historical concept not supported by any clinical research evidence that would allow claims to be made that it is the cause of disease or health concerns. The document goes on to provide ␣must␣ statements regarding beliefs, values, evidence based practice and advertising."


2. Manipulation changes skin temperature. "The effects of a lumbar spine manipulation appear noticeable by changes in paraspinal CT measurements at the level of L5. However, the meaning and mechanisms of CT modifications at L5 are still being investigated."

3. If it smells bad, it will probably make you sick. "Aerosolization of C. difficile occurs commonly but sporadically in patients with symptomatic CDI. This may explain the widespread dissemination of epidemic strains. Our results emphasize the importance of single-room isolation as soon as possible after the onset of diarrhea to limit the dissemination of C. difficile."

4. Osteopathic manipulation helps pneumonia. "Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (n = 387) found no significant differences between groups. Per-protocol (PP) analysis (n = 318) found a significant difference between groups (P = 0.01) in LOS. Multiple comparisons indicated a reduction in median LOS (95% confidence interval) for the OMT group (3.5 [3.2-4.0] days) versus the CCO group (4.5 [3.9-4.9] days), but not versus the LT group (3.9 [3.5-4.8] days). Secondary outcomes of duration of intravenous antibiotics and treatment endpoint were also significantly different between groups (P = 0.05 and 0.006, respectively). Duration of intravenous antibiotics and death or respiratory failure were lower for the OMT group versus the CCO group, but not versus the LT group."  Free download

5. Chinese make fake eggs. "Consumers have a hard time telling a genuine egg from a fake one. This is good news for unscrupulous entrepreneurs, who are even conducting three-day courses in the production of artificial eggs for less than S$150. A reporter with Hong Kong-based Chinese magazine East Week enrolled in one such course."


6. Ilio tibial band syndrome.  A video lecture. "One of the key tests that we're going to do is the Noble compression test. The pain is typically isolated over the lateral epicondyle of the femur. You will place your hand just above, on the IT band, above the condyle, and move the knee from 90° flexion into a fully extended position. This will often replicate the complaint that the patient has of lateral knee pain."

7. An MRI scan causes changes in brain function. "This study suggests that, if one could better understand how the MRI causes changes in metabolism, one could create the machines of the future, where one could scan in one instance and stimulate in the other, all with the same device."

8. The brachioradialis muscle can be designed differently.  "These results are consistent with the brachioradialis muscle having a series-fibered architecture consisting of multiple, overlapping bands of muscle fibers in most individuals and a simple parallel-fibered architecture in some individuals."  

9. Emotion induced asthma can be caused by the body. "In conclusion, airway constriction to unpleasant stimuli in asthma depends on an intact cholinergic pathway, is largely due to the central airways, and is not substantially associated with other indicators of airway pathology. Its link to the perceived psychological triggers in patients’ daily lives suggests a physiological basis for emotion-induced asthma."

10. Autistic children have immature standing and side posture development.  "During gait initiation, no group differences were detected in the posterior COP shift mechanism, suggesting the mechanism for generating forward momentum is intact. However, significantly smaller lateral COP shifts (p < 0.05) were observed in children with ASD, suggesting instability or an alternative strategy for generating momentum in the mediolateral direction. These results help to clarify some discrepancies in the literature, suggesting an impaired or immature control of posture, even under the most basic conditions when no afferent or sensory information have been removed or modified. Additionally, these findings provide new insight into dynamic balance in children with ASD."  

11. Foot orthotics help standing and side movement balance at the start of walking.  "These findings suggest that foot orthoses may help individuals reach steady state more quickly and with a better dynamic balance in the medial–lateral direction, independent of foot type. The findings of this pilot study may open new avenues for objectively assessing the impact of prescription footwear on dynamic balance and spatio-temporal parameters of gait. Further work to better assess the impact of foot orthoses on gait initiation in patients suffering from gait and instability pathologies may be warranted." 

12. Rippled insoles don't do much to help Multiple Sclerosis patients. "Despite some positive changes in gait patterns when wearing textured insoles, an increased foot–shank angle in terminal stance suggests that patients did not propel their swing limb through increased contribution of ankle plantarflexor muscles, perhaps favouring more proximal muscle groups. Whilst the textured insoles may alter gait patterns in MS patients, their contribution to achieving a more regular gait pattern with sufficient propulsion from ankle plantarflexors remains uncertain."  

13. Age effects on posture do not make walking worse.  "Ankle fatigue has an impact on the ability to compensate for gait perturbations in young and elderly adults. However, no significant differences in all analysed parameters were detected between young and elderly subjects. These results may imply that age-related deteriorations in the postural control system do not specifically affect the ability to compensate for gait perturbations under fatigued condition."  

14. Hamstring injury is at greatest risk after foot strike. "Whilst peak hamstrings force during terminal swing did not decrease post-injury, both peak hamstrings length and negative work during terminal swing were considerably reduced. These results lend support to the paradigm that the hamstrings are most susceptible to muscle strain injury during the terminal swing phase of sprinting when they are contracting eccentrically."  

15. Sunshine may not supply enough Vit D. "Although it may be tempting to recommend intentional sun exposure based on our findings, it is difficult, if not impossible to titrate one's exposure. There are well-known detrimental side effects of ultraviolet irradiation. Therefore, oral supplementation remains the safest way for increasing vitamin D status." 


17. Hip manipulation strengthens muscles.  "
These findings are consistent with other studies demonstrating that the use of grade IV non-thrust mobilization improves strength immediately post-intervention in healthy individuals. The results of this pilot study provide physical therapists with further support for the utilization of manual therapy in conjunction with therapeutic exercise to enhance muscle strength." 

18. Body checking in ice hockey creates 3 times more injuries.  "
Among 11- to 12-year-old ice hockey players, playing in a league in which body checking is permitted compared with playing in a league in which body checking is not permitted was associated with a 3-fold increased risk of all game-related injuries and the categories of concussion, severe injury, and severe concussion."  

19. Pain acts independently from distraction. "
Based on the additive effect of CPM and distraction on pain inhibition, and the cases of no distraction despite CPM, we suggest that CPM acts independently from distraction."  
 

20. Greek dances help mental and physical health.  "
Greek traditional dances may be used as a functional psycho-physical activity, to produce both physical and mental benefits for elderly individuals."  

21. Dental splints help relax masseter muscles.  "
These results confirmed that the use of occlusal splints reduced the electromyographic activity of the right and left masseters, showing its myorelaxing effect."

22. Spinal manipulation of the neck is gentler than range of movement studies. "
 Stresses and strains on the vertebral artery during chiropractic spinal manipulation of the neck were always much smaller than those produced during passive range of motion testing and diagnostic procedures."  

23. Researchers "spin" the results of their research. "
In this representative sample of RCTs published in 2006 with statistically nonsignificant primary outcomes, the reporting and interpretation of findings was frequently inconsistent with the results."  

24. Bad breath is related to dental anxiety. "
Halitosis requires professional care not only by dentists, but also psychological support as it is a problem that leads to avoidance behaviors and thereby limits relationships. It is also linked to poor self care. In the study population, poor oral health related to self-reported halitosis was associated with dental anxiety factors."  

25. A 6 position test for piriformis problems.  This detailed testing procedure may help you find more difficult to observe, fascicular weakness of this muscle.  

26. Sleep deprivation impares memory. "
Sleep is important for brain function and cognitive performance. Sleep deprivation (SD) may affect subsequent learning capacity and ability to form new memories, particularly in the case of hippocampus-dependent tasks. In the present study we examined whether SD for 6 or 12 h during the normal resting phase prior to learning affects hippocampus-dependent working memory in mice. In addition, we determined effects of SD on hippocampal glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors and their regulatory pathways, which are crucially involved in working memory. After 12 h SD, but not yet after 6 h, spatial working memory in a novel arm recognition task was significantly impaired. This deficit was not likely due to stress as corticosterone levels after SD were not significantly different between groups. In parallel with the change in cognitive function, we found that 12 h SD significantly reduced hippocampal AMPA receptor phosphorylation at the GluR1-S845 site, which is important for incorporation of the receptors into the membrane. SD did not affect protein levels of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) or phosphatase calcineurin (CaN), which regulate GluR1 phosphorylation. However, SD did reduce the expression of the scaffolding molecule A-kinase anchoring protein 150 (AKAP150), which binds and partly controls the actions of PKA and CaN. In conclusion, a relatively short SD during the normal resting phase may affect spatial working memory in mice by reducing hippocampal AMPA receptor function through a change in AKAP150 levels. Together, these findings provide further insight into the possible mechanism of SD-induced hippocampal dysfunction and memory impairment." 

27. I love this Chinese proverb, "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it."

28. Acupuncture helps jaw pain. "
The results of this meta-analysis suggest that acupuncture is a reasonable adjunctive treatment for producing a short-term analgesic effect in patients with painful TMD symptoms. Although the results described are positive, the relevance of these results was limited by the fact that substantial bias was present. These findings must be confirmed by future RCTs that improve the methodologic deficiencies of the studies evaluated in this meta-analysis."  

29. Your smartphone is transforming health care. "

New and upcoming wireless medical devices may redefine the way primary care physicians practice medicine. In addition to the more than 1700 smartphone applications (apps) designed for use by medical professionals, other wireless devices are being developed at breakneck speed.  
When a patient presents with persistent dull pain in the upper right quadrant, instead of referring her down the hall or across town for an ultrasound at a later date, you'll pull out your own miniaturized device -- little bigger than an iPhone -- and get real-time, high-resolution images of her abdomen. You can quickly and accurately check for gallstones, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, and fluid around the heart, referring her for more extensive traditional imaging only if needed.
"  

30. Exercise training reduces anxiety: "
The largest anxiety improvements resulted from exercise programs lasting no more than 12 weeks, using session durations of at least 30 minutes and an anxiety report timeframe greater than the past week. Their conclusion was that exercise training reduces anxiety symptoms among sedentary patients who have a chronic illness"  

Breaking News:  The Jerusalem conference on Integrative Medicine has some presentations that may be of interest to AK'ers around the world.  


Take time to gather up the past so that you will be able to draw from your experiences and invest them in the future.

Don’t let the learning from your own experiences take too long. If you have been doing it wrong for the last ten years, I would suggest that’s long enough!

Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.

It’s easy to carry the past as a burden instead of a school. It’s easy to let it overwhelm you instead of educate you.

Be like a sponge when it comes to each new experience. If you want to be able to express it well, you must first be able to absorb it well.

"The goal of effective communication should be for listeners to say,
‘Me, too!’ versus ‘So what?’" —Jim Rohn


Comments:

Donald
Thanks for these newsletters
Here is a link to the toothbrushing article you cited. This is the full article I believe, and you do not need a subscription to access it.
 
Nick

Toothbrushing Less Than Twice a Day Linked to Increased CV Risk
Donald McDowall
DC, MAppSc, DNBCE, DIBAK, FACC

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