No Surprises Here
There are times when research confirms what is blatantly obvious. Chiropractors have long understood that back surgery often begets more back surgery, a phenomenon researchers recognize as "failed back surgery syndrome." Consider this announcement in the September 1996 issue of the Spine Letter:
At this years annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine in Burlington, Vermont, a study was presented that found:
The "external compression caused by a retractor causes significant increases in intramuscular pressure and decreases local muscle blood flow, thus contributing to structural damage of the back muscles in posterior lumbar spine surgery."
It's gratifying to know that researchers are becoming more open about the risk of permanent damage involved in spinal surgery.
This article focuses on nine severe injuries that are generally not diagnosable until the third to fourth week following the date of injury, including how to diagnose these severe injuries. The discovery of any of these injuries early can make a significant difference in the case outcome.
| Digital Exclusive
Dr. Anthony Delitto, dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, has announced that the SHRS will begin offering a Doctor of Chiropractic program in fall 2025, with applications accepted this fall. The program is the first at a research-intensive public university in the U.S. and the only chiropractic program headed by a faculty member with NIH research funding, according to the press release.
While canes, braces and posts represent extrinsic methods for lessening adductor moment arms, an intrinsic method for lessening the development of medial knee osteoarthritis occurs when the hip abductor musculature and the iliotibial band are strong enough to create a compressive force capable of stabilizing the lateral knee.
